Ten Years Gone: Leveraging Second Chance Act 2.0 to Improve Outcomes

Ten years have passed since U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services began implementing the Second Chance Act (SCA) and the Judicial Administration and Technical Amendments Act (JATAA), which provided funds and guidance to assist state, local, and tribal authorities in improving reentry to the community from prison and to better protect the community. The authors review early implementation, discuss SCA interventions in the context of criminogenic needs and responsivity factors identified in the Post Conviction Risk Assessment (PCRA 2.0), highlight examples of districts’ use of funds, and provide suggestions for the future.