Prisoner Reentry Initiative Benchmark
The North Carolina Department of Correction (NCDOC) has been awarded the Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) grant through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) of the US Department of Justice. The grant will serve a minimum of 250 offenders released from prison who are returning to Mecklenburg County and who volunteer to participate in job readiness training and case management services. As a requirement of the grant, NCDOC must allot 30% of the federal award to an "appropriate non-profit faith- based or community organization" (FBCO) to provide services to the released offenders. The FBCO must have the capacity to provide wrap around services such as housing assistance, and referrals to treatment and transportation. The organization must be able to operate in Mecklenburg County and will be selected through a competitive solicitation process.
The selected FBCO will receive the apportioned BJA funds by achieving the benchmarks and meeting the other requirements as explained in the following Scope of Work. The selected FBCO will also receive unspecified matching funds from the Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL funds are not tied to the benchmarks; however, the FBCO must be able to meet the pertinent required terms outlined in the Scope of Work.
The parameters of the PRI grant also involve hiring a Job Developer in Mecklenburg County to work with released offenders and the FBCO. The Job Developer will be a contractual, time-limited employee of the NCDOC and housed at the local Employment Security Commission (ESC) office. The Job Developer's role will include cultivating potential employment opportunities, building relationships with potential employers through informational seminars, and providing job placement services for the released offenders. Additionally, the Job Developer will manage the contract of the FBCO and verify documentation of the benchmarks.
