Enhancement of Youth Parole Re-entry Program

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 Nevada Department of Child and Family Services plans to utilize its FY 2002 funds to fill gaps in existing services to ensure successful reentry/aftercare for Clark County youth, ages 14-17, leaving state youth correctional facilities. The project is designed to 1) enhance the Intensive Aftercare Project, Fresh Start, implemented in 1995 2) enhance community safety by promoting community involvement in the youth's reentry to the community, and 3) providing youth parolees with a maximum of supervision and services, including mental health and/or drug and alcohol treatment in the institution and in the community.

Grant funds will also be used to hire:
' a project director/liaison to be located in Las Vegas and work with youth and staff at Caliente Youth Center
' a liaison/counselor to be located at Nevada Youth Training Center in Elko
' a clerical assistant to provide services to the project director/liaison and the liaison/counselor and to assist with correspondence, record keeping, communications and data collection.

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