ACSBlog: The Blog of the American Constitution Society

President Bush will sign the Second Chance Act today, described by the Congressional Research Service (in this report) as "expand[ing] the current offender reentry grant program at the Department of Justice and creat[ing] a wide array of targeted grant-funded pilot programs."

With 700,000 state and federal prisoners released annually, The New York Times reports that states and private groups are developing programs to assist prisoners with returning to their communities and avoiding committing new crimes. It notes that financial concerns – the inability of states to build more prisons – is driving the shift towards rehabilitation, along with concern for the victims of repeat offenders. The Times reports:

The act authorizes $165 million in spending per year, including matching grants to state and local governments and nongovernmental groups to experiment with efforts like more schooling and drug treatment inside prison and aid with housing, employment and the building of family and community ties after release.

It also directs the Justice Department to step up research on re-entry issues and establishes a national Reentry Resource Center to promote successful approaches and provide training.

(H/T Sentencing Law and Policy Blog)