Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative

The Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) was developed and implemented by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) in 2003, along with federal agency partners, in response to high rates of offender recidivism upon prison release resulting in subsequent incarceration. Data from examinations of rates of offender recidivism upon release from jail or prison indicate that roughly 66 percent of those released commit offenses that cause them to return to correctional facilities within three years. The commencement and implementation of the SVORI represented an unprecedented federal response geared toward collectively addressing the underlying causes of criminal offending and subsequent recidivism as a potential solution to addressing the increasing prison population. Federal funds were appropriated to assist states in expanding existing resources or developing concerted efforts to effectively link institutional and community correctional programs and services in order to prepare high-risk offenders for successful transition and community reintegration upon prison release. Included among the primary goals of the SVORI are a reduction in recidivism and an increase in public safety by meeting underlying needs of offenders as they are released from prison.

Juvenile and adult offenders who possess violent offense histories pose greater threats to public safety and are more likely to recidivate upon community reentry. The SVORI seeks to provide enhanced services and case-planning efforts to this population of offenders in an effort to address these issues. Among the initiation and implementation efforts associated with the SVORI, grantees at local and state levels were directed to utilize federal dollars to expand or improve upon their current reentry programming efforts for violent offender populations by providing additional training to staff, developing integrated supervision efforts, establishing or strengthening partnerships between institutional and community agencies, and creating innovative approaches to reentry for juveniles or adults within a specific area of each jurisdiction. SVORI funding requirements established that program participants must receive enhanced treatment and programming services throughout three specific phases: (1) prior to prison exit, (2) upon release to the community, and (3) several years following community release. The major organizational structure and goal of these programs involve providing a continuum of care that commences while the offender is incarcerated and continues to provide individuals with the assistance that they require at various stages of the reentry process. Such efforts require institutional and community corrections and state and local agencies to collaborate in effort to provide comprehensive services to program participants.

The collaboration of various agencies and organizations working to achieve intended goals is vital to the success of SVORI programs. Offender [Page 412]populations have a variety of needs and face several social and legal barriers to successful community reentry. These must be addressed as they exit prison and reenter the community. SVORI efforts recognize that this process is inherently difficult, and thus programming efforts focus on assessing offender needs and developing a reentry plan, prior to prison release, in order to become aware of these challenges and locate services that may assist this population with handling these challenges prior to prison release.

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