About the Program
Program Description
To achieve the reunification of families and reduced recidivism among previously incarcerated parents, Second Chances provides a host of parenting and therapy supports for incarcerated parents, custodial parents, and children throughout the period of incarceration. It is a multi-pronged program that consists of parenting classes with a letter writing component, trauma-informed care classes, cognitive behavioral therapy, and contact visitation with family members. The program is designed to gradually reintroduce the incarcerated parent back into the lives of the children/enhance the relationship they already have, and provide educational sessions to both parents/caregivers to assist with the reintegration of the incarcerated parent.2
History
Second Chances began as a program of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office in 2019. It launched approximately six months after receiving grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) through the Second Chance Act. The contract for federal funding ended in September 2022. Though federal funding for the work recently ceased, the Second Chances program will continue with the support of local partnerships and alternate funding.
References
2 Norfolk Sherriff’s Office. (2020). Reentry Programs. City of Norfolk Sherriff. Retrieved from https://norfolk-sheriff.com/inmates/reentry-programs
