Pitt County Family Development

April is Second Chance Month.  It is awesome to be given a second chance in life. Nearly all of the 2.2 million people incarcerated in the United

States will be released at some point. People who are returning to their communities after prison or jail have complex challenges and needs that

contribute to the likelihood that they may be reincarcerated.

Since 2009, more than 800 Second Chance Act grant awards have been made to government agencies and nonprofits for reentry programming

designed to provide services that can help reduce recidivism and increase public safety.

• Mental health—In a study of jail populations, researchers found rates of serious mental

disorders that are three to six times higher than those found in the general population,

affecting approximately 15 percent of men and 31 percent of women.1

• Substance use—A survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) found that about

half of people in state and federal prisons had substance use disorders.2

In a separate

study of prison and jail populations, BJS found that more than 70 percent of the people

with mental illnesses also had co-occurring substance use disorders.3

• Housing and homelessness—A national survey found that 15 percent of people

incarcerated in jail had been homeless in the year before incarceration—up to 11 times

more than the estimate for the general U.S. adult population.4

Of all people entering prisons

and jails, those with mental illnesses are twice as likely to have been homeless.5

• Education and employment—Two out of five people incarcerated in prison or jail lack a

high school diploma or its equivalent.6

Employment rates and earning histories of people in

prisons and jails are often low as a result of limited education, physical and mental health

problems, or other challenges; the stigma of having a criminal record and having been out of

the workforce often exacerbate these challenges after release.7

• Children and families—Approximately 2.7 million children in the United States have a

parent who is incarcerated.8

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