Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2011, $608,358)
The Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199) authorizes grants to government agencies and nonprofit groups to provide employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, housing, family programming, mentoring, victims' support, and other services to help adult and juvenile ex-offenders to transition successfully from incarceration to the community. OJJDP will provide grants to support mentoring and other transitional services essential to reintegrating juvenile offenders into their communities. Grants will be used to mentor juvenile offenders during secure confinement, through transition back to the community, and post-release; to provide transitional services to assist them in their reintegration into the community; and to support training in offender and victims issues. This program is authorized by the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, Pub. L. 112-110.
The Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) and three mentoring organizations (True North, Heart of Ohio, and Men of Standards) have collaboratively developed a mentoring program and supportive services that will serve 245 youthful offenders leaving state operated correctional facilities. In summary, this proposal will provide mentoring services to a projected 245 youth during a two-year project period. All youth will be admitted to the program prior to their 18th birthday. The reentry planning process and infusion of one-to-one, group, and peer mentoring services are informed by the use of a fourth-generation assessment system that evaluates the risk and criminogenic needs of justice-involved youth. Youth in DYS facilities returning to the Counties of Cuyahoga, Franklin, Montgomery, Summit and Allen will begin receiving mentoring services six months prior to release and will continue to receive services from the same mentor, or mentors, for a minimum of six months in the community. Individualized reentry plans will be developed for each youth based upon assessed needs. Mentors will assist youth returning home by ensuring the following supports are provided: housing assistance, education and employment assistance, and mental health and drug alcohol services. Mentors will work with mentees to develop goals and assist the youth in achieving them. Outcome measures will be collected by the mentoring agencies and DYS. The impact of the mentoring services will be evaluated using match-comparison group and recidivism analyses.
CA/NCF