General Questions

Below are some questions and answers to questions the NDOC has received.

General Questions

What is the Second Chance Act and what role is the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) playing?

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (SCA) was enacted to break the cycle of criminal recidivism, improve public safety, and help state, local, and tribal government agencies and community organizations respond to the rising populations of formerly incarcerated people who return to their communities.  NDOC was awarded funding from the Department of Justice through the Statewide Adult Recidivism Reduction Strategic Planning Program Grant to support efforts in developing a comprehensive, data-driven strategic plan with measurable benchmarks, all with a goal of reducing recidivism by 11% over 5 years.

What does recidivism mean?

The recidivism rate is the proportion of offenders who return at least once to a correctional facility within NDOC within 36 months of parole or discharge.  The latest data released shows that Nevada has a 28% recidivism rate.  While this is lower than the national rate of 52%, but this data does not take into consideration that many are re-arrested in other jurisdictions (i.e. California and Arizona).

How does NDOC use the grant money?

Governor Sandoval issued Executive Order (E.O.) 2011-25, which established the Statewide Re-Entry Task Force.  Through a five year strategic plan, the task force worked to develop a data-driven approach for recidivism reduction through goal-setting, identifying valid and reliable data, target populations, and programming initiatives.  The task force identified 10 key strategies to reduce recidivism.  Five working groups were created to implement these strategies, ranging from Re-entry Planning and Tracking to Family Involvement in Re-entry.

What does that mean?

Basically, the task force and working groups met (and are still meeting) to come up with better ways to program (rehabilitate) inmates.  The programming must be data-driven and evidence based.  The culmination of those efforts resulted in the creation of the RISE Program.

What is RISE?

Reaching Inward to Succeed in my Environment (RISE), is a substance abuse/re-entry program designed to provide “wrap-around” care for inmates nearing release, in cooperation with community partners and the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Parole and Probation Division.

How does RISE work?

Inmates are screened upon arrival at a facility, and those who meet the criteria, are invited to participate in the program.  They will begin programming with 12-18 months remaining on their sentences in a variety of substance abuse treatments and re-entry courses.  The treatments and courses continue up to 6 months after their release.  All aspects of treatment are compiled and reported to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, which administers the Second Chance Act grant for the Department of Justice.

What/who are the community partners?

Community partners are those outside agencies and facilities that assist NDOC in fulfilling the requirements of the grant.  They range from entities such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and Social Security Administration to half-way houses and substance abuse treatment facilities.