Going Home: Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative

The Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative Discretionary Grant Program was developed through a federal partnership by the Departments of Justice, Labor, Health and Human Service, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture. The federal partners' goal is to help state and local agencies navigate the complex field of existing state formula and block grants and to assist them in accessing, redeploying and leveraging those resources to support the components of a comprehensive reentry program. In addition to the new funding, the federal partners are identifying funds from their respective agencies that are already available to state and local agencies to provide the necessary services to implement a reentry program.

The Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative Grant Program is designed to provide funding to state and local units of government to develop and implement institutional and community corrections-based offender reentry programs through collaborative partnerships with government, social service, faith-based, and community organizations, in order to reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and successfully reintegrate serious and violent offenders back into the community. Reentry programs must be sustained for a 36-month period and are required to partner with a state adult or juvenile correctional agency.

The Michigan Family Independence Agency (FIA) will use grant funds to develop and implement a Serious and Violent Juvenile Offender Reentry Project. The FIA Reentry Project will focus efforts on increasing public safety by reducing the rate of recidivism among 670 juvenile offenders released to the following five counties: Jackson; Muskegon; Genesee; Wayne; and Berrien. Through the Juvenile Reentry Project, the FIA will partner with various service agencies to address the challenges of recidivism, substance abuse, physical and mental health, as well as to provide support in the area of workforce participation, housing, family reunification and faith based support.

The FIA Juvenile Reentry Project is designed to provide comprehensive services for offenders reentering society in a three phase process which includes: 1) institutionally-based programs; 2) community-based transition; and 3) community-based long term support.

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