MIDDLETON – Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. is pleased to announce that the Essex County Sheriff’s Department has received a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Department of Justice to lower criminal recidivism by providing work-based training and employment to incarcerated adults after their release.
The grant is authorized through the Second Chance Act of 2007, which provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison and jail and are returning to their communities by addressing the steps needed to be taken for offenders to achieve a successful reintegration.
Each year, for three years, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department will use its $250,000 allocation to provide technology-based career training to 220 inmates in their facilities during the six to 36 month period before release. Additionally, the department will work with local employers to secure placement for program participants following their release.
“We are very pleased to receive this grant award. Our goal is to ensure that the people who come through our facilities receive the training they need to earn good, technology-based jobs once they reenter the community,” Sheriff Cousins said. “Reducing recidivism has always been a priority for me as Essex County Sheriff, and I believe that this grant will help us achieve this and vastly improve outlooks for people who enter the criminal justice system.”
Other services that will be provided to support inmate employment success include: basic adult education, work readiness training, reentry planning, rehabilitation (domestic violence, sex offender, substance abuse, cognitive behavioral therapy, HIV/AIDS support), case management, peer mentoring, employment support (workplace learning and job placement/retention), and supportive services (behavioral health, medical, basic needs, housing, family reunification, transportation, childcare, financial benefits, insurance, medication assistance and legal services).
ABOUT THE SECOND CHANCE ACT
The Second Chance Act of 2007 (SCA) was enacted to break the cycle of criminal recidivism, improve public safety and help state, local, and tribal government agencies and community organizations respond to the rising populations of formerly incarcerated people who return to their communities. Since the first SCA appropriation in fiscal 2009, more than $475 million has been authorized for grants, training and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal government agencies, along with community organizations to provide services that help people returning from prison and jail to safely and successfully reintegrate into the community. SCA programming provides support to eligible applicants for the development and implementation of comprehensive and collaborative reentry strategies specifically designed to increase public safety by reducing recidivism.
