U.S. Department of Labor announces more than $18.7 million in grant funding for projects to assist young offenders in entering the workforce

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced 10 grants totaling $18,715,780 to fund projects that will support young offenders seeking to enter the workforce. Funding announced today is focused on three areas: 1) young offender re-entry planning grants, 2) juvenile offender implementation grants for state and local government partnerships and 3) one intermediary re-entry grant to an organization with experience in conducting project demonstrations in multiple cities.

"All young people deserve a chance to succeed. These grants will help reduce recidivism, while ensuring that young offenders have access to the type of career and social pathways that lead to economic self-sufficiency and successful re-entry into their local communities," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

Grants in two of the three categories will provide funding for re-entry planning, as well as training, employment and supportive services for youth who have been involved in the juvenile justice system within the past year but never involved in the adult criminal justice system. Participants served will generally be between the ages of 14 and 18. Recipients of planning grants will focus on plan development in anticipation of community-based direct service delivery efforts.

An intermediary re-entry grant under the third category will support the design and implementation of a model program for serving returning juvenile offenders. The program will operate in four cities that will be chosen through a competition conducted by the grantee.

Today's awards were made available through the fiscal year 2008 Department of Labor appropriations bill. For more information on Department of Labor training programs, visit http://www.doleta.gov.

Editor's Note: A list of grantees is below.

Grants to Assist Youth Offenders in Entering the Workforce