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On Decemeber 13th, Congress appropriated $10 million dollars for Reentry Courts under “Section 111” of the Second Chance Act. In all, a total of $100 was appropriated under the “Second Chance Act”. Additionally the Department of Justice (DOJ) provided $14 million for reentry initiatives within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Department of Labor earmarked $108 million for work/training related services. (see Reentry Policy Council press release)
“Second Chance Act” funding is up four-fold from a year ago. It should be noted that reentry courts and their community partners may be able to appropriately access far more than the funds made specifically available to “reentry courts”. Much of that money will be available to community based coalitions made up of government, non-profit, and other community organizations. There may be more than $300 million available during fiscal year 2010 for community-based coalitons that have a reentry court as one of its partners.
