In this update, the author notes the passage of the "Second Chance Act" by Congress--signed into law by the President on April 9, 2008. Programs created in law may or may not be immediately funded and implemented. The criminal justice community will be watching the appropriation process with interest to learn what Second Chance programs will be…

In this update, Linton describes the Life Skills for State and Local Prisoners Program and discusses why this reentry program has been successful. This program competitively funds three-year demonstration projects that provide life skills instruction in either state correctional facilities or jails. Both state and local correctional systems are…

In this update, Linton reports on Congressional filing of a number of bills that involve the topic of prisoner reentry. In addition, he presents a key section of Attorney General John Ashcroft's address (Cleveland, Ohio, September 2004) on prisoner reentry. In this speech, Ashcroft called for a concerted effort to managing a balanced approach:…

In this column, Linton discusses First Lady Laura Bush's remarks on the special issues faced by boys in contemporary America. Among other things, Linton talks about the Neglected and Delinquent Technical Assistance Center's Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports approach addressing behavioral issues that block school performance and…

This update discusses the "Reentry National Media Outreach Campaign," a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation that exists to bring the issues of prisoner reentry to greater public awareness. The U.S. Department of Education has been charged with administering the "Life Skills for State and Local Prisoners Program," a discretionary grant program…

In this update, Linton discusses the role of educational programs within correctional institutions. These programs normally receive varying degrees of support from state to state, but two exceptions are the federally administered Life Skills for State and Local Prisoners Program and the Grants to States for Workplace and Community Transition…

In this column, Linton provides updates on the various programs of the U.S. Department of Education. Among other things, he discusses the matter of restoring federal financial aide eligibility to certain offender populations, currently under study in Congress, and that Congress also is continuing a rare substantive discussion of issues related to…

Prisoner reentry continues to be identified as an important issue in the public affairs arena, and a proposed initiative would offer new funding to support transitional services for returning inmates. Education generally does not top the list of identified reentry issues, but education can be appropriately identified as a potent solution. It is…