The Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Program for Demonstration Projects, as part of the Fulton County Second Chance Reentry Program, serves target offenders who are identified to be at a high risk to re-offend. We provide comprehensive programs with emphasis on substance abuse/mental health treatment, healthcare, housing, behavioral therapy, family therapy, life skills, job training, and GED preparation. The issues of substance abuse, mental illness, housing, healthcare needs, education, and unemployment needs are critical issues that must be addressed for successful reentry and reintegration into the community. Not only do these issues present serious barriers to transitioning inmates, they also present serious risks to the communities to which large numbers of ex-offenders return. Fulton County’s Offender Reentry Task Force has a comprehensive strategy aimed at reaching the following goals: Reduce recidivism within the target population by 50% over 5 years and to Reduce the crime rate in the target geographic area. The SCA Project is the first ever coordinated in-penal and post-release system to support reentry through the Fulton County Jail, and represents the very first time that a comprehensive collaboration supported by public safety and human service agencies and organizations across all jurisdictions and government levels has ever been initiated. The Fulton County Second Chance project submitted a grant solicitation to the Corporation for National Community Services, (CNCS ) for AmeriCorps volunteers and was awarded 3 AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers to work on sustainability efforts for the 2011-2012 year. The VISTA volunteers are dedicated to the implementation of grant writing/resource development, standard operating procedures, volunteer recruitment and outreach.

The Fulton County Second Chance Reentry Program is very proud to work so closely with a variety of AmeriCorps in addressing the multiple barriers to successful reentry for Fulton County's Ex-Offenders.