NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Lee’s recent criminal justice reforms mean that more than a dozen local jails in Tennessee will be making improvements to help inmates succeed after their release. The Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP) in the Department of Finance and Administration has awarded grants to 19 local jails to create or enhance evidence-based programming to improve outcomes for inmates and to reduce recidivism.

“Governor Lee and the General Assembly made criminal justice reform a priority, recognizing that inmates need programming while incarcerated so they can succeed when they’re released,” OCJP Director Jennifer Brinkman said. “People can turn their lives around when there’s a process and a system that helps them and as a result, we help make communities safer, save taxpayer dollars and transform lives.”

Governor Lee’s “Re-Entry Success Act of 2021,” made Evidence-Based Programming grants available to jails for programs proven to reduce recidivism rates and increase local collaboration to improve outcomes for convicted felons after release. County governments that operate local jails and house felony offenders were required to meet specific criteria to create or enhance inmate programming, and selected one or more evidence-based programs from the Pew Clearinghouse.  

Grants have been awarded to these county governments:

Bradley County                Claiborne County            Cocke County

Dyer County                      Hamilton County             Haywood County

Henderson County         Johnson County               Lawrence County

Madison County              Obion County                   Polk County

Putnam County                Rhea County                     Rutherford County

Shelby County                  Sullivan County                Warren County

                               

For the current fiscal year, $5 million was made available for the program and Governor Lee has proposed an additional $25 million for fiscal year 2023. The project accompanies an increased reimbursement rate program made available to jails this fiscal year.

The Evidence-Based Jail Programming grant project funds programs that are supported by research to:

• Address substance abuse, mental or behavioral health needs.
• Provide education, including adult basic education or post-secondary level courses, career and technical education.
• Teach critical life and relationship skills, such as parenting classes.

OCJP is a strategic planning agency that secures, distributes, and manages federal and state funds for Tennessee, including Victims of Crime Assistance (VOCA) funds and STOP Violence Against Women Program (STOP) funds.