Reference no: EM132813235

The Second Chance Act of 2007 was enacted to provide support through funding and training for state and local criminal justice agencies. This act would potentially address the enhancement of reentry services for offenders returning to their communities. This was a response to a high rate of recidivism that was seen nationwide. Federal funding efforts have increased the number of reentry programs over the past decade (Cornnor, 2020).

An advantage of the Act is that the ex offender would have access to services such as drug and alcohol counseling, mental health treatment, vocational training, and housing assistance that would contribute to their general welfare. When these things are addressed offenders are more equipped to successfully do things like finding and keeping a job that will inevitably impact housing and their general quality of life. Once their quality of life is better they may be less likely to reoffend.

A disadvantage to the Act is that although it targets a wide range of offenders it focuses mostly on medium and high risk individuals. There are other offenders who are able to benefit from these programs who might have committed lesser crimes. These offences sometimes blossom into more serious offences if issues such as substance abuse and mental issues are not addressed.