U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced today that the State of Missouri Department of Corrections has been awarded $265,944 in federal grant money to assist individuals in their reentry to communities after serving time in prison. The money is part of the Second Chance Act Mentoring Grant program and will assist programs at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in Pacific, MO and the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correction Center in Vandalia, MO.

 

According to the Department of Justice, programs designed to increase success in reentry might include the establishment of a pre-release mentoring relationship, housing, education, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, services to enhance family reunification, job training and readiness and post-release case management.

 

There are currently more than 2.3 million individuals serving time in federal and state prisons. Ninety-five percent of all prisoners incarcerated today will eventually be released and return to communities.

 

McCaskill believes that federal grants and loans are a positive alternative to earmarks, which in the past have frequently had too little accountability. Competitive merit and need based federal grants and low-interest government loans bring federal assistance to Missouri in an honest and fiscally responsible manner.