The District Attorney’s Office is initiating a Reentry Innovation Challenge to elicit, support, and test new and innovative strategies to fill key gaps in the NYC reentry landscape and ultimately to improve outcomes for individuals reentering the community from jail and/or prison and increase public safety in New York City. The Office requested letters of interest that describe high-impact, scalable interventions to be planned and piloted in New York City that aim to improve outcomes for individuals reentering the community from jail and/or prison, reduce recidivism among these individuals, and increase public safety.

In July 2017, a subset of these applicants were invited to advance to stage 2 of the Reentry Innovation Challenge and to submit a full proposal for consideration for funding.

Each year, approximately 75,000 people return to New York City following a period of incarceration in jail or prison.[i] The challenges associated with reentry from incarceration are well known. Individuals who are incarcerated often enter jail or prison with complex needs in many areas, such as employment, education, housing, family, and behavioral health. The experience of incarceration—conditions of confinement and removal from one’s family and community—can lead to new needs and exacerbate existing needs, all of which may contribute to reincarceration. According to recidivism data compiled by New York City’s Criminal Justice Agency, more than half (51.2%) of defendants sentenced to jail or prison citywide in 2009 were re-arrested within a year, and nearly a quarter (22.9%) of them were re-arrested for a felony offense.  Furthermore, a recent recidivism study found that 38 percent of people released from New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) prisons who were originally committed to prison from New York City returned to DOCCS custody within three years of their release.

The Reentry Innovation Challenge seeks to support the development and contribution of new evidence to the field of “what works” in reentry. DANY is especially interested in identifying programs that effectively support people who are leaving jail.

The District Attorney’s Office will fund up to $15 million to be spread across multiple awards issued through its request for proposals to enhance reentry services and its Reentry Innovation Challenge. 

Documents

• CJII Request for Letters of Interest: Reentry Innovation Challenge

Deadlines

• The deadline to submit letters of interest was Friday, May 5, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
• In July 2017, a subset of applicants were invited to advance into stage 2 and to submit full proposals for the Reentry Innovation Challenge.

Background

ISLG is the technical assistance consultant to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for CJII. ISLG manages the grantees funded under CJII and provides oversight and performance measurement throughout the lifetime of the initiative. All funds are administered through the Research Foundation of CUNY (Research Foundation).

[i] New York City Department of Corrections (NYC DOC). Releases in 2015. Provided by DOC to ISLG on January 25, 2016. New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYS DOCCS). Releases to New York   City in 2014. Provided by DOCCS to ISLG on December 3, 2015.

Last updated August 2, 2017