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State Receives $2.3 Million for Programs to Curb Crime, Recidivism in Connecticut

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The state of Connecticut has received $2.3 million in grants for programs aimed at reducing recidivism and giving ex-offenders better opportunities to restart their lives.

The grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice under the federal Second Chance Act. The funds were given to six Connecticut initiatives, including $1 million to the city of New Haven's Fresh Start Reentry Initiative. The program aims to reduce recidivism by 50 percent over five years.

The state Department of Correction will receive nearly $100,000 to develop and implement a 12-month strategic plan to reduce recidivism statewide.

The grants will also go to programs to help young fathers in prison transition back into the family, and improve outcomes for juveniles on parole.

Governor Dannel Malloy said these programs will cut off what he calls the "school to prison pipeline."

"We cannot be a perpetually punitive society," Malloy said. "We cannot permanently punish non-violent offenders for the rest of their lives, swelling our prisons, creating lifetime criminals out of people who simply made a mistake."

Last year, Connecticut had the fourth-lowest drop in violent crime of any state in the nation, according to the FBI.

Ray Hardman is Connecticut Public’s Arts and Culture Reporter. He is the host of CPTV’s Emmy-nominated original series Where Art Thou? Listeners to Connecticut Public Radio may know Ray as the local voice of Morning Edition, and later of All Things Considered.

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