Change is coming. And our hearts can be encouraged that this change is good. It will affect hundreds of thousands of individual lives; as a result, it has the power to forever alter our culture.

Earlier this year in Washington, DC a significant piece of legislation was signed by President Bush, called the Second Chance Act. In the September 2008 SCM newsletter, Lewis relayed the importance of this piece of legislation...

"According to a statement released from the White House, the Second Chance Act (H.R. 1593) will help transform lives and build safer communities by helping prisoners who are returning to society break cycles of crime and start new lives. The legislation is designed to help prisoners effectively reintegrate into the community. Additionally, the Second Chance Act enhances drug treatment, mentoring, and transitional services for former offenders through partnerships with local correction agencies and faith-based and community organizations."

Essentially, this legislation confirms the work Safer Communities Ministry (SCM) has been doing for two decades: fighting the problem of recidivism by utilizing faith-based instruction and overseeing the Second Chance Re-Entry Network (SCREEN).

Across this nation, prison systems and communities are partnering together in re-entry efforts. The time has come for SCM to make its proven model available to other communities. In North Carolina there is a wind of change in the Department of Correction (DOC). Through their Office of Transition Services (OTS) they are implementing a new DOC strategy model to work in counties across the state with four phases to guide their efforts. They recognize there must be a partnership with the communities in order to be successful. We are ready to help these prison officials and our communities break the recidivism cycle.

This web site is a gateway offering ideas, strategies, programs, tools, and services which produce real results. The Second Chance Re-Entry Network (SCREEN) has developed effective best practices and is now making them portable for other communities. Join hands with current SCREEN partners to break recidivism in your area.

To find out how to build your own Safer Community, we invite you to explore this site and contact us with questions you may have about getting started now.

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