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 Discretionary 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 offenders back into the community. Reentry programs must be sustained for a 36month period and are required to partner with a state adult or juvenile correctional agency.

The Arizona Department of Corrections (ADJC) in partnership with several Arizona counties, will use its FY 2002 Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Grant to develop an offender reintegration project designed to enhance programs and services currently being provided through ADJC to high risk youthful offenders. Arizona's Reentry project will service approximately 85% of Arizona's serious and violent offender population, with specific emphasis on juvenile offenders.

ADJC's Reentry initiative will focus on both rural and urban communities, and will be designed to provide a continuum of transitional services from the institution to the community. Programmatic services emphasize the comprehensive re-integration of youthful offenders back into targeted rural and urban areas including Cochise, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, and Yuma Counties. Services to be provided through the Reentry initiative include substance abuse treatment, comprehensive educational training, employment training, job placement assistance, restorative justice initiatives, case management and supervision, mental health services, medical services, transitional housing assistance, family counseling, and extensive community resource referrals.

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