Operation Safe Kids Baltimore: Reentry Program

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) supports a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison, jail, and juvenile facilities each year and are returning to their communities. The Second Chance Act will help juvenile participants released from residential confinement to successfully transition back into society. Section 101 of the Act authorizes grants to state and local governments, territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes that they may use for demonstration projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration of individuals who have been incarcerated into the community.

The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) requests $750,000 to provide reentry services over three years to one hundred eighty Baltimore City reentry youth within the Department of Juvenile Services' Violence Prevention Initiative to help them successfully transition back into society and reduce their rate of recidivism. This program will address the lack of comprehensive reentry services for Baltimore youth committed to the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services by providing intensive case management, monitoring, treatment planning, and linkage to evidence-based services and community providers, beginning while youth are in placement and continuing after reentry into the community. The program will incorporate a juvenile reentry court component, based on the problem-solving court model, in order to increase accountability and encourage adherence to the service plan by all involved parties. Program staff will work with both the youth and their family to address needs in a comprehensive manner. BCHD staff will work closely with state and city agencies to provide comprehensive services and increased accountability to participating youth using Operation Safe Kids KidStat forum as the Juvenile Reentry Task Force. CA/NCF