A second round of grant funding for delivering services to those in the criminal justice system is one step closer thanks to a vote last week by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). The action, taken at their board meeting in San Diego, put in place the process for distributing the funding.

Separately, the BSCC gave agencies that receive these grants, approved by voters in 2014 as part of Proposition 47, one year longer to spend the funds.

The second round of grants will rely largely on the original Request for Proposals that guided formation of the current projects, which were awarded funding in June 2017. Proposition 47 turned several low-level drug and theft-related felonies into misdemeanors, which resulted in state savings.

The BSCC disperses 60 percent of the state savings through competitive grants for programs that deliver substance-abuse and mental health treatment, job training, and housing-related services to those in the criminal justice system. Currently 23 three-year grants worth $103 million are helping local communities.

The Board will also seek public input on whether public agencies that received money in round one will be eligible for round two, since the grants would be running simultaneously.

The new grant awards, which are expected to be made by late 2019, will allow recipients 45 months to spend two years’ worth of state savings.

For more information, counties can contact Ricardo Goodridge at Ricardo.Goodridge@bscc.ca.gov or (916) 341-5160.