Jail Reentry

In April 2008, The Second Chance Act became law. The Second Chance Act provides resources to communities to help ensure that the transition people make from prison or jail to the community is safe and successful. The Second Chance Act provides an important opportunity for counties to implement pretrial policies and practices that eliminate inappropriate detention, optimize diversion from prosecution and maintain community safety. Pretrial services are essential to the Second Chance Act because studies sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (USDOJ) show that two-thirds of the inmates in our nation’s jails have not been convicted but rather are awaiting some type of court action, including trial. 

If you would like help from the Pretrial Justice Institute in including pretrial services in your implementation of the Second Chance Act, please contact us via Ask a Question.

The following are materials on Jail Reentry.  For more information and to view presentations and papers from the June 2006 Urban Institute Jail Reentry Roundtable Initiative, please click here.