WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today announced that $12 million  will be awarded to 20 states through the Department of Justice's Prisoner Re-entry Initiative (PRI). Awards of up to $450,000 are being provided to state agencies to evaluate inmates prior to release from incarceration and develop transition plans in collaboration with community-based and justice agencies for their return to their communities.

        Administered through the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and with the support of additional federal agencies, PRI is designed to reduce recidivism by helping returning inmates find work and access other critical services in their communities. A list of the recipients of the 2006 PRI awards is available at:  https://bja.gov/grant/06PRIawards.pdf.

        "Fewer than half of all released offenders stay out of trouble for at least three years after their release from prison, and many of these offenders commit serious or violent offenses while under parole supervision," said OJP Assistant Attorney General Regina B. Schofield. "The Prisoner Re-entry Initiative involves an unprecedented collaborative approach -- at the federal, state and local levels -- by addressing this problem through supervision and providing a wide range of services offenders need to help them successfully transition to law-abiding behavior." 

        Last November, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) awarded grants to faith- and community-based organizations to develop an employment-centered program that incorporates mentoring, job training and other transitional services to the offenders. Today's awards to state agencies will provide pre-release assessment, programming and services, transition planning, and post-release supervision for prisoners returning to communities served by DOL grants. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assists the design and implementation of the initiative regarding substance abuse and mental health treatment. The DOL awards are available at:    www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20052123list.htm.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and is comprised of five component bureaus and an office: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy and OJP's American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Desk. More information can be found at https://ojp.gov.

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2006 Prisoner Reentry Initiative Awards

State	Agency	Amount
Michigan	MI Dept. of Corrections	450,000
Iowa	IA Dept. of Corrections	450,000
Missouri	MO Dept. of Corrections	900,000
Washington	Dept. of Corrections	450,000
Massachusetts	MA Dept. of Corrections	421,875
Wisconsin	WI Dept. of Corrections	450,000
Ohio	OH Dept. of Rehabilitation and Corrections	428,726
New York	Division of Criminal Justice Services	815,538
Arizona	AZ Dept. of Corrections	900,000
Florida	FL Dept. of Corrections	450,000
Oregon	OR Dept. of Corrections	450,000
California	CA Youth and Adult Correctional Agency	1,800,000
Louisiana	LA Dept. of Public Safety and Corrections	900,000
Colorado	CO Dept. of Corrections	449,704
Pennsylvania	PA Dept. of Corrections	449,000
New Jersey	Dept. of Corrections	900,000
Illinois	IL Dept. of Corrections	450,000
Texas	TX Dept. of Criminal Justice	1,350,000
Connecticut	Dept. of Corrections	450,000
Maryland	MD Dept. of Public Safety and Correctional Services	450,000
		Total 12,914,843