This brief describes how the Smart Decarceration Grand Challenge and the work of Dr. Pettus-Davis led to the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill recently passed by both chambers and signed by the President.

"Experts hope that the broad and diverse coalition that has grown around criminal justice reform – from progressive civil rights groups to conservative religious and business groups – stays for the long haul."

 "The State of Pennsylvania is implementing a recidivism reduction and criminal justice reform project developed by Safe Streets and Second Chances (S3C). The project is the S3C Initiative 5 Key Model for Reentry Program Demonstration Project; it is a research initiative conducted by Florida State University. The Pennsylvania effort is a partnership between S3C, Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC)."

Over half of Pennsylvania’s state prisoners end up back behind bars within five years of their release, according to official data. But the state is now participating in a study on how to bring that number down.

About 80 inmates from Washington County who are being released from state prisons will be part of a four-state study aimed at reducing recidivism and helping former inmates find jobs. 

Funding from The Charles Koch Institute will allow Pennsylvanians returning home from prison in Allegheny, Fayette and Washington counties to participate in a national re-entry initiative that aims to help them succeed after incarceration.

Some inmates in Pennsylvania prisons will be part of a four-state pilot program that will track and monitor them upon their release with the goal of keeping them from ending up back behind bars.

 On July 26, Carrie Pettus-Davis, Ph.D., with the FSU College of Social Work will discuss re-entry as it applies to inmates and formerly incarcerated people in Tallahassee to help support their transition back into their community. 

A new project funded by the network aligned with billionaire industrialist Charles Koch is tracking and monitoring 1,100 inmates in four states after they are released from prison starting Aug. 1 to help them successfully reintegrate into society.

1,100 inmates from Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Kentucky will be monitored starting this week to help them reintegrate into society