Second Chance Month – Reentry Matters

April 27, 2022

By DOC's Reentry Division Department of Corrections

In April, the U.S. Department of Justice along with numerous partners is supporting Second Chance Month to help individuals, communities, and agencies across the country recognize the importance of reentry and their role in supporting safe and successful reentry.

The National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) is hosting Second Chance Month partnered with the American Institutes for Research Vera Institute of Justice, CSG Justice Center, RTI International, and more. The NRRC is hosting resources, videos, podcasts, live learning events and webinars during the month of April to support the justice field and Second Chance Act grantees with their reentry programs. Visit the calendar of events and explore a range of topics essential to successful reentry, including reentry basics, education, employment, housing, behavioral health, youth and young adults, family engagement and community engagement, and evaluation and sustainability. Recordings of all live events will be posted in May 2022.

Reentry is an outcome, and successful reentry starts at reception. Every member of the DOC team contributes to successful outcomes. Please take a minute to watch the short video from Secretary Strange to kick off Second Chance Month.

Sometimes, all a person needs is an opportunity. Other times, a second chance is necessary. That notion is central to the idea behind Second Chance Month. The Department of Corrections (DOC) mission is to improve public safety by positively changing lives, and nothing embodies that more than giving a person a second chance. Whether it’s employment, housing, friendship or any other support, nothing leads to success more than knowing we have someone willing to lend a hand in times of need. That is especially important for people who are reentering the community from incarceration.

Second Chance Month is a time for all of us to reflect on the need to empower people with meaningful opportunities for success, both during incarceration and after reentry into our communities. We have all made mistakes and done things we are not proud of. Right now we have the chance to encourage and embrace the possibility for growth and change. There is hope after incarceration. Successful reentry occurs when internal healing and growth is met with external opportunities. DOC Reentry Division will continue to do everything in our ability to help facilitate both, and we hope to partner with staff throughout the Department to positively transform lives and make Washington communities safer and stronger.