OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington’s Department of Corrections has received over $1 million in grants to prevent incarcerated individuals from returning to jail.
The U.S. Justice Department said in a statement that the funding is part of a $110 million initiative nationwide.
About $1 million will go towards reducing recidivism, which is the term given to released prisoners who are likely to commit additional crimes after their sentence is up.
The state estimates that about 2200 people will be released from prison over the next two years.
Funding will help support re-entry programs for those prisoners, with a focus on counties that may not have adequate re-entry programs.
A second grant, worth over $770,000, will boost training resources to prepare inmates for work in manufacturing and construction.