Montana's Re-entry Application
BUILDING CONTINUITY FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY

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 Montana Department of Corrections/Juvenile Corrections Division plans to utilize its FY 2002 funds in the facilitation of increased community services for juvenile/young adult offenders transitioning from institutional mental health programs. The program objectives are:

* To hire one FTE Aftercare Coordinator at Pine Hills Correctional Facility (juvenile male facility).
* To hire .5FTE Aftercare Coordinator at Riverside Correctional Facility (juvenile female facility).
* Schedule quarterly Family Integration and Commitment Meetings at each facility.

The Aftercare Coordinators will insure smooth transition of juvenile/young adult offenders by involving the offender's family in the reentry process while the youth is still incarcerated. The quarterly meetings will allow families to see the facility, understand the programs in which the offender is involved and have families committed to the offender's return to the community. The coordinators will focus on specific issues that have been problematic for some returning offenders especially those on medication. The Aftercare Coordinator will provide referrals to appropriate professionals and local decision-makers will provide adequate provision and supervision of medications and monitoring the appropriate usage.

The target population for this program will include youth (male and female) committed to the Department of Corrections for offenses that would be felonies, if the offender was an adult, specifically homicide, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, felony theft and arson.

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