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 Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ) plans to utilize its FY 2002 funds to encompass comprehensive programs addressing recidivism of male and female offenders between the ages of 15 and 19 with at least one adjudication for a violent felony. FDJJ proposes to implement the programs in Duval County, Circuit 4, serving 25 offenders annually; Miami-Dade County, Circuit 11, serving 100 offenders annually, and Hillsborough County, Circuit 13, serving 25 offenders annually. The project goal for each site is a 5% improvement in success rate (non recidivism rate) for each participating offender.

FDJJ collaborative efforts include local government agencies, community, faith based, for profit, and non profit organizations. It is anticipated that through a combination of local funding and legislative allotments secured by the demonstrated success of the projects, the program will become self-sufficient.