OC Sheriff’s Department receives Second Chance Act grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Jeff Hallock, (714) 647-7042/Gail Krause, (714) 647-1840

OC Sheriff’s Department Receives Second Chance Act Grant

SANTA ANA, CA – (November 5, 2013) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Inmate Services Division was awarded a Second Chance Act grant of $319,000 from the Department of Justice to provide services to inmates who have a high risk to reoffend. The award is for one year with the possibility of additional funding over the next two years.

The Second Chance Act was created in 2008 and its purpose is to improve outcomes for people returning to communities after incarceration. This novel legislation authorizes federal grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations. They award the grant to these agencies that in turn provide support strategies and services designed to reduce recidivism by improving outcomes for people returning from prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities.

The grant will service sentenced inmates with a history of substance abuse and who are on probation. Approximately 75 inmates will participate in the community residential treatment component of this program on an annual basis. Inmates that are accepted into the program will receive assessment, in-custody cognitive based programming, a discharge plan, and placement into a licensed residential treatment program.

To date, nearly 500 Second Chance Act grants have been awarded to state, local and tribal government agencies and nonprofit organizations across 48 states and the District of Columbia. These organizations represent a wide range in geography, size, and program design.

The positive impact of the Second Chance Act can perhaps be best conveyed by the program participants themselves. Since early 2012, the Council of State Governments Justice Center has interviewed program administrators and participants and shared their individual stories in the National Reentry Resource Center website and newsletter. For success stories visit their website http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.com/.

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