Biannual Grantee Feedback Report, April-September 2015: Second Chance Act (SCA) Adult Mentoring Program

• NCJ Number: 250449
• Date Published: October 2016
• Author(s): Daniel K. Pryce Ph.D.; Finesse Moreno-Rivera
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Statistics, Report (Technical Assistance), Report (Grant Sponsored), Report (Annual/Periodic), Program/Project Description, Legislation/Policy Description, Grants and Funding

Annotation

This Biannual Grantee Feedback Report for April-September 2015 presents data on program activities provided by grantees of the Adult Mentoring Program, which is funded under the Federal Second Chance Act (SCA), legislation enacted to provide resources to State, local, and tribal government agencies and community organizations for establishing and improving services designed to reduce recidivism among persons returning to communities after release from prisons and jails.

Abstract

The SCA's Adult Mentoring Program provides for the establishment and maintenance of pre-release and post-release mentoring relationships for incarcerated and recently released persons. Mentoring refers to a developmental relationship in which a more experienced person assists a less experienced person in developing an enhanced sense of self-worth and specific knowledge and skills that will contribute to a productive and law-abiding living pattern after release from prison or jail. Data from the current report indicate that in the year preceding the current report (April-September 2014), 1,754 new participants were enrolled in the Adult Mentoring Program (970 pre-release and 784 post-release). During the period covered in the current report (September-April 2015), this number increased to 2,257 new mentoring relationships (1,395 pre-release and 862 post-release), a 29-percent increase. During the first half of FY 2015, 64 percent (163 participants) of all post-release participants who successfully completed the program were classified as either moderate-risk or high-risk. In the second half of FY 2015, the number increased to 70 percent (315 participants). Overall, the completion rates for participants were 82 percent (pre-release) and 63 percent (post-release). The training and technical assistance provided to grantees for improving program outcomes are described. 9 figures and 3 tables