Lancaster County Reentry Planning Grant

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of incarcerated adults and juveniles who are released from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities and are returning to their communities. Approximately 100,000 youthful offenders are confined in juvenile residential facilities on any given day. The FY 2011 Second Chance Act Juvenile Offender Reentry Program helps ensure that the transition the youth make from secure confinement facilities to the community is successful and promotes public safety. A secure confinement facility may include a juvenile detention center, juvenile correctional facility, or staff-secure facility. Eligible juveniles must have been confined under juvenile court jurisdiction. This program is authorized by the Second Chance Act, Pub. L. 110-199, (42 U.S.C. § 3797w). The Second Chance Act authorizes grants to states, territories, units of local government and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments for demonstration projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of individuals who have been incarcerated or detained.

Lancaster County, NE, population 275,665 is seeking a $50,000 planning grant to develop a sustainable comprehensive, Juvenile Offender Reentry Program. A team of 21 key multidisciplinary stakeholders have committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and collaborative plan that addresses the challenges posed by offender reentry, and to reduce recidivism. The plan will target 100 high risk youth from Lancaster County as they enter Nebraska's Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers (YRTC's). The two YRTC's are the facilities where Nebraska's most high risk youth are ordered to by Juvenile Court Judges. The result of this planning process will be a Strategic Reentry Program that will reduce recidivism and maintain public safety. CA/NCF