FY 2018 Second Chance Act: Community Supervision Review and Enhancement Training and Technical Assistance Project

Section 101 of the Second Chance Act authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants to states, units of local government, and tribal governments to improve reentry outcomes for incarcerated youth. Under the Second Chance Act Ensuring Public Safety and Improving Outcomes for Youth in Confinement and While Under Community Supervision program, Category 3: Community Supervision Review and Enhancement Training and Technical Assistance will provide funding to support training and technical assistance to states and localities to improve community supervision policies and practices for juveniles with co-occurring substance abuse problems and mental health disorders who are placed on probation or are being released from secure confinement.

The Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps (RFK) will partner with the RFK National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice; the National Juvenile Defender Center; National Center for Juvenile Justice; Fordham University; and the Impact Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The project will build on the RFK National Resource Center’s promising practices in providing field-based technical assistance and distance learning to deliver intensive training and consultation to improve community supervision practices for juveniles with co-occurring substance abuse problems and mental health disorders who are placed on probation or are being released from secure placement. RFK will guide the demonstration projects through the examination, analysis, and support for implementation of collaborative principles; clear articulation of their mission, vision, goals, and outcomes; commitment to risk-needs-responsivity instruments to inform professional judgment; screening practices for trauma and mental health needs; positive youth development practices that promote behavioral change; family engagement at all points of system and community involvement; timely case processing related to fairness and equitable treatment for all; and effective quality assurance and improvement methodologies. CA/NCF