The Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Discretionary Grant Program (Reentry) 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 Reentry 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 are required to partner with a state adult or juvenile correctional agency.
The Utah Division of Youth Corrections has designed this program to meet the needs of the Utah County Aftercare Program (UCAP). This program will help to provide additional funding for job placement services for those with substance abuse and mental health disorders. It will allow us to work with agencies we are currently working with and to contract with employers to provide a greater array of employment and internship opportunities to the youth in the UCAP program. It will also allow for increased accountability through more consistent urinalysis testing. This program not only impacts these youth but also allows more freedom with current grant monies to set up other services needed by program participants, namely vocational classes and training, college training programs, as well as resources to complete additional career testing and career counseling services through our contracted providers.
CA/NCF
