Welcome to the March 2026 Edition of the Justice Reinvestment Newsletter

The Justice Reinvestment Team at the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy (GOCPP) aims to increase information and resource-sharing, while creating and fostering a statewide, online community Newsletter.

• Reentry Programming and Services
• Behavioral Health Treatment and Services
• Support for Victims and Restitution Enhancements
• Training and Education
• Safe Alternatives to Incarceration 
• Pretrial Services and Programs

Please note that the Newsletter organizes all updates in chronological order under its subsections: Grants, Upcoming Events and Conferences, Meetings, Programs, and Other Information.

Grants

1. MOOR Competitive Grant Program

Application Deadline: March 6, 2026, at 4:59 PM

Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response is pleased to announce our Competitive Grant Program for fiscal year 2027!

About

The purpose of our Competitive Grant Program is to distribute funding to the highest-scoring proposals received from state and local governments, as well as from private and not-for-profit community-based partners, that align with Maryland’s Overdose Response Strategy and address the greatest needs around the state. The funding available for MOOR’s Competitive Grant Program is approximately $6 million.

Eligibility and Requirements

The following entities are eligible to apply:

• state agencies;
• local government entities (including local school systems); and
• non-profit community-based partners.
  • must be a Maryland-based organization benefitting Maryland residents

Recovery residences must admit consumers who are receiving Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in order to be considered for funding. All project proposals must align with the goals outlined in Maryland’s Overdose Response Strategy. Additionally, funding will be prioritized for projects that fall within MOOR’s priority projects.

For more information, visit https://stopoverdose.maryland.gov/grants/.

2. SFY 2027 Performance Incentive Grant Fund (PIGF/PJRA)

Technical Assistance Call: March 12, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Application Deadline: April 3, 2026, at 11:59 PM

The primary purpose of PIGF funding is to reduce Maryland’s state and local incarcerated population through appropriate diversion, deflection, service provision, and recidivism reduction resources. The fund was established through savings generated from Maryland’s Justice Reinvestment Act (JRA) to provide for county-led innovations and state expansions of programming that were prioritized by Maryland’s Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council (JRCC).

The JRA reforms are centered on safely reducing Maryland’s prison population by incorporating evidence-based programming, improving reentry outcomes, reducing collateral consequences of incarceration, and establishing connections to community treatment and support for nonviolent offenders with behavioral health needs. This supports the Office’s objective of reducing the prison population and reinvesting savings. For background on how potential grant applications fit the JRA Initiatives, click here.

For more information, please visit https://gocpp.maryland.gov/grants/programs/pigf/.

** If you are interested in serving as an external reviewer for the PIGF/PJRA applications, please reach out to Lindsey McCullough, Justice Reinvestment Coordinator, at Lindsey.McCullough@maryland.gov. **

3. SFY 2027 Adult Day Reporting Center Grant Program (DRCE)

Technical Assistance Call: March 17, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Application Deadline: April 10, 2026, at 11:59 PM

The primary purpose of this program is to enable a local jurisdiction to implement or support an established Day Reporting Center to provide community-based services and treatment to individuals under pretrial or probation supervision to reduce recidivism, jail and prison populations, and corrections-related costs.

For more information, please visit https://gocpp.maryland.gov/grants/programs/drce/.

4. BJA FY25 Smart Reentry Demonstration Program

Grants.gov Application Deadline: March 19, 2026, at 11:59 PM 
JustGrants Application Deadline: March 26, 2026, at 8:59 PM

This NOFO supports state, local, and Tribal governments to implement comprehensive and collaborative reentry strategies to increase the likelihood of successful reentry for adults leaving prison, jail, or supervision, and establish or expand a program or service (“intervention”) to reduce recidivism. Interventions may address a variety of needs related to reentry as outlined in section 101, subsection (b) of the Second Chance Act (34 USC §10631- Adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects). Please see the Eligible Applicants section for the eligibility criteria.

To learn more, please visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2025-172494.

5. BJA FY25 Strengthening Community Supervision Agency Operations Program

Grants.gov Application Deadline: March 19, 2026, at 11:59 PM
JustGrants Application Deadline: March 26, 2026, at 8:59 PM

This NOFO will support state, local, and tribal community supervision agencies to develop more effective probation and parole programs and improve supervision outcomes by strengthening operations to prevent recidivism and reduce violent crime. Please see the Eligible Applicants section for the eligibility criteria.

• Category 1: Smart Supervision (Anticipated Award Amount: $6,687,630)
  • Category 1 will support the development, implementation, and/or testing of strategies to reduce recidivism among probation and/or parole populations.
• Category 2: Implementing Swift, Certain, and Fair Principles (Anticipated Award Amount: $4,000,000)
  • Category 2 will support replication of the Hawaii Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) model of responding to behavior of individuals on supervision with swift, certain, and fair consequences (SCF).

For more information, please visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2025-172497.

6. BJA FY25 Public Safety and Mental Health Initiative

Grants.gov Application Deadline: March 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM
JustGrants Application Deadline: April 6, 2026, at 8:59 PM

This NOFO supports comprehensive service networks addressing untreated mental illness and substance use at the intersection of mental health, substance use, and justice systems. This program responds to the growing burden of endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior and public safety threats faced by law enforcement agencies. These agencies are often positioned as first responders to situations better addressed by health and social service systems. Law enforcement and justice agencies nationwide need actionable alternatives that prioritize both public order and appropriate treatment settings for those experiencing mental illness or substance use disorders. Specifically, this initiative provides funding to support activities through four core areas: (1) crisis stabilization centers; (2) treatment services; (3) housing access; and (4) electronic health record (EHR) systems and technology modernization.

This initiative supports coordinated, direct intervention efforts across public safety, justice, mental health, and substance use agencies to increase access to mental health and substance use treatment through civil commitment, institutional treatment, and step-down approaches from pre-arrest through reentry, using accountability measures that ensure compliance with treatment plans. This program moves beyond temporary interventions by utilizing appropriate institutional care and civil commitment processes for individuals unable to care for themselves. These interventions will reduce the burden on law enforcement and the justice system; restore order in communities affected by homelessness, mental illness, and substance use; decrease recidivism; reduce crime; and improve overall public safety and restore confidence in public spaces.

For more information, please visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2025-172486.

7. OJJDP FY 2025 Second Chance Act Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated Parents and Their Minor Children

Grants.gov Application Deadline: March 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM
JustGrants Application Deadline: April 6, 2026, at 8:59 PM

This NOFO will provide funding to develop or expand programs in juvenile and adult detention or correctional facilities to respond to the needs of incarcerated parents and their children to reduce the likelihood of antisocial behaviors, future involvement in the juvenile justice system, and recidivism; and support responsible parenting that leads to healthy child development, resiliency, and improved interactions among incarcerated parents and their minor children, family, and community members. Please see the Eligible Applicants section for the eligibility criteria.

For more information, please visit https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-ojjdp-2025-172513.

8. JCOIN Rapid Innovation Grants (J-RIG)

Application Deadline: April 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM

The JCOIN Rapid Innovation Grant (J-RIG) program is a rapid funding mechanism to support small research grants to study newly emerging policies, practices, or interventions that address prevention and treatment of addiction in criminal legal settings.

Applications should focus on substances associated with overdose and overdose mortality. Projects should have direct relevance to individuals who are involved in the criminal legal system but need not take place within criminal legal settings.

J-RIG is intended to facilitate short-term projects that are not compatible with traditional National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding mechanisms for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, time sensitivity or pilot data collection for early-stage research or evaluation ideas. During its initial five years, J-RIG funded 13 small grants for a total of $1.4M across 8 funding cycles.

Click here for more information.

Upcoming Events & Conferences

1. DPSCS Second Chance Reentry Resource Fair - Baltimore, Maryland

March 25, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Join the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) as we help to bring in national Second Chance Month coming up in April!

On Wednesday March 25, 2026 we will be hosting our 2nd Second Chance Awareness Month Reentry Resource Fair at the Baltimore War Memorial located at 101 N. Gay St., Baltimore, MD 21202 (entrance located on E. Lexington St.).

The fair is designed to enhance the rehabilitation and reintegration of justice-involved and formerly incarcerated individuals in the community, also to extend support to their family members and loved ones. DPSCS would be honored to have you participate if you have a need for services, or as a vendor offering services and resources. This is also a great networking opportunity for those that care about reentry.

Please visit the following link to register: https://forms.gle/SSNg7B3xweCc4rYW8 or scan the QR code in the flier.

Thank you so much for your time! We hope to see you at the Second Chance Reentry Resource Fair!

Meetings

1. The Maryland Statewide Alliance for Returning Citizens (MSARC)

March 24, 2026, at 9:30 AM; Recurring, every fourth Tuesday of the month via Zoom

MSARC comprises reentry service providers, returning citizens, advocates, government, corrections, and law enforcement staff working in reentry, and others who support increasing reentry resources. Meetings primarily consist of information sharing, guest speakers, and announcements about upcoming events of interest, aiming to break down silos. The next meeting will take place on March 24th, 2026 at 9:30 AM. The meetings are open to all with an interest in reentry. Please email Dawna Cobb, MSARC Co-Chair, at marylandreentry@outlook.com to be added to the MSARC email list and to receive the Zoom link for meetings.

Programming

DPSCS Reentry Resources - 211 Maryland

DPSCS is proud to partner with 211 MD to bring to Marylanders information about reentry services that are available in all 24 jurisdictions that exist to help the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated, along with resources for family members. This partnership supports our goal to increase public safety and wellness, reducing recidivism.

211 MD is a first-of-its-kind statewide reentry resource database. Dial 211 to get connected to employment and community resources 24/7/365. Additionally, you can search for reentry resources from trusted organizations by ZIP code via https://211md.org/resources/mdreentry/.

You can also sign up to receive text message updates for reentry information, services, programs, and events. Subscribe by texting reentry to 898-211.

Mavrik Village

Mavrik Village is strengthening reentry outcomes by expanding access to stable, affordable housing for justice-impacted individuals — helping transform second chances into sustainable futures. Learn more about this growing community resource at www.mavrikvillage.org.

H.O.P.E. Baltimore

Helping Oppressed People Excel (H.O.P.E.) Baltimore supports people facing the challenges of coming home after incarceration, led by people who have gone through the same transition. We have been working to ensure our people stay home successfully and permanently for almost 10 years, providing support and community to overcome the barriers of reentry.

Reentry comes with significant barriers—securing stable housing, finding employment, accessing reliable transportation, and navigating legal and financial systems. H.O.P.E. helps remove these barriers by connecting returning citizens to essential resources, developing coping skills, and fostering strong community relationships that ease the stresses of life on the outside.

At the heart of our work are our weekly mentoring and support dinners, where participants find a welcoming space, peer mentors, and practical assistance. Individuals receive bus passes, financial support, job placement assistance, and court and parole guidance, ensuring they have a solid foundation to rebuild their lives. H.O.P.E. is deeply committed to peer-led support, extensive community outreach, and access to wraparound services. Our work creates a pathway for returning citizens to thrive in their reentry journey.

CORE Program

The CORE Program aims to provide immediate/same day access to quality medical care, including primary care and infectious disease care (including HIV and Hepatitis C treatment) on site at THRIVE. Additionally, on-site mental health and substance use assessments/screenings, triage and treatment are also available as well as access to Employment counseling and Housing services. Financial Assistance for things like rental assistance, food, and clothing also help to make community transitions easier. Community referrals to services not offered at THRIVE by a designated Re-entry Case Manager are a large part of our patient centered approach to re-entry services. These wraparound services are intended to address the social factors that most heavily impact recidivism rates. In addition to the tangible services CORE offers, the multi-disciplinary team approach enhances social support for those returning home and to their communities and families.

EMBRACE Resource and Reentry Center

Marian House

Live, Inc.

Our Mission

Empowering individuals to overcome challenges and embrace purpose, we provide holistic care that fosters recovery, personal growth, and stability. With a focus on emotional well-being, resilience, and self-expression, our services support healing and the development of new skills. Through compassionate support and essential resources, we help create the foundation for a healthier, more fulfilling life.

Our Services

• ReEntry Program – Support reentry clients preparing to return to the community from incarceration or seeking relapse prevention and recovery support in the community. 

  • The Reentry Program includes:

    • Structured individual & group recovery services

    • Case management to connect clients with benefits, resources, and services

    • Relapse prevention and recovery maintenance skills

    • Supportive housing options when needed

• Art & Wellness – Our programs place an emphasis on creativity and overall wellbeing to aid individuals in interpreting, expressing, and resolving their emotions.

For more information please click here.

Live Benevolent Behavioral Health

Our Mission 

At Live Benevolent, we provide aid and comfort to individuals, groups, and communities impacted by substance abuse, violence, tragedy, and traumatic events. We assist clients with life’s challenges including substance use disorders, relationship and behavioral issues, depression, anxiety, trauma, and daily living needs.

Our Services

Live Benevolent offers a wide range of support to young adults and their families, and men who battle mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

• Outpatient Mental Health – Assessments & evaluations, individual, family, and group therapy, medication management, and therapeutic mentoring.
• Substance Use Disorder – Prevention, professional assessments & treatment planning, individual counseling, peer-led group discussions, recovery support, and referrals. Services available short-term, intermediate, and long-term. We also offer MCORR Housing, supportive housing that provides safe, stable housing paired with recovery focused services to help individuals maintain sobriety, access resources, and build independence.
• Psychiatric Rehabilitation – Evidence-based support for individuals with persistent mental health conditions, focusing on self-care, financial literacy, anger management, and independent living skills. 

For more information please click here.

Our Commitment

At Live Benevolent, we are dedicated to strengthening lives, restoring hope, and supporting mental health and wellness across our community with compassion and care.

📢 We’re Hiring!

Mental Health Therapist

Provide assessments and therapy for adults and children navigating mental health and co-occurring challenges. 

[Apply Today]

Updates to Dorchester County Health Resources

• Dorchester County Health Department has a new address: 627 Race Street, Cambridge, MD 21613
• Dorchester County Behavioral Health has a new address: 401 Academy Street, Cambridge, MD 21613
• DRI Dock Recovery & Wellness Center has a new address: 103 Maryland Avenue, Cambridge, MD 21613

HealthCare Access Maryland Returning Citizens Community Connections Program (RCCC)

The RCCC program is designed to reduce recidivism by addressing the health and social needs of Returning Citizens in Maryland. The RCCC program works with repeat offenders that are residing or returning to Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City or Baltimore County up to one year post release.

Gatekeepers

Gatekeepers is an organization that focuses on re-entry. Our mission is to motivate, empower, and encourage both current and ex-offenders through mentoring services by challenging them to make positive decisions and ultimately help facilitate the process of a successful transition back to their communities. These individuals often do not have positive role models in their life to aid them in their efforts. At Gatekeepers, our team is dedicated to helping people overcome obstacles standing in their way to achieving success and reaching their life goals.

Business of Living Workbook and Program: The Business of Living is the heart of what we do. It focuses on the Personal, Occupational, Educational, and Spiritual areas of your life. Under the supervision of our Director of Operations Keith Roys, Gatekeepers has created the Business of Living Workbook and uses it to help current and former inmates chart their re-entry path to success. Gatekeepers works with men and women currently incarcerated to get them started on their re-entry planning. Gatekeepers will then meet them at the gate on their day of release (if needed) and get them immediately started on implementing their re-entry plan.

Resource Club: The Saturday morning Gatekeepers Resource Club, held in the Fellowship Hall at Trinity Lutheran Church (15 Randolph Ave.), is where community resources get to connect with returning citizens. The doors open at 9:30 am for networking and coffee. The meeting starts at 10:00 am and runs until 11:00 am. Many people stay afterwards to continue networking and connecting with resource providers that were present. Organizations including the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, the Area Health Education Center - West (AHEC-W), the Washington County Health Department, CASA, and many more provide a wide array of assistance to meeting attendees.

For more information about the Business of Living program, the Resource Club, Gatekeepers’ community partners, and more, visit https://www.gatekeepersmd.org/ or email gatekeepers.wcmd@gmail.com

Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts - Victims of Crime Video Series

The Maryland Judiciary has produced a two-part video series on the rights and roles of victims of crime. The first video covers the role of victims in bringing criminal charges and in criminal cases, and the second video addresses the rights of victims of crime, hiring legal representation, receiving information about the criminal case, financial compensation, and the rights of sexual assault victims. Each video has Spanish captioning available and has an accompanying tip sheet that summarizes the key points of the videos and provides a list of resources. The videos and tip sheets are available at mdcourts.gov and are part of a wider Court Help Video Library at mdcourts.gov/videos.

Saved2Serve Educational Services

Mission Statement: To teach, empower, improve, and transform the lives of returning citizens through education; specifically, by obtaining the General Educational Development (GED) to enter the workforce with 21st Century Skills.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 

Identity Access Project

Flikshop

Flikshop aims to ease the process of sending postcards to incarcerated individuals. Founded by Marcus Bullock, a formerly incarcerated individual himself, the company fights recidivism by keeping families connected, so that individuals foster successful reentry, once released. We focus on families and their loved ones affected by incarceration, and assist them with technology that helps to leverage their relationships. Likewise, Flikshop has grown to connect businesses that work to build social impact strategies and community engagement teams that work to combat mass incarceration.

Mindset Care

• No charge to our partners or your organization
• No fee if the claimant's application is not accepted
• Management of all necessary medical records and correspondence
• Focus on securing stable income, benefits, and housing opportunities for claimants

Project ENCORE 

Project ENCORE (P-ENCORE) is the Pratt Library's new restorative justice program which aims to dismantle institutional barriers and social reintegration challenges that lead to recidivism. There are three parts to P-ENCORE: Workforce Development, Digital Equity, and the Reconnection Center. Our mission is to empower formerly incarcerated individuals by equipping them with the essential tools to thrive as productive members of society. We adopt a comprehensive approach by seamlessly connecting participants with Pratt's existing wrap-around services, including housing, substance abuse rehabilitation, social work, and more, addressing their mental, emotional, financial, and physical well-being. See here for more information on their extensive programming. Our Multi-Tiered approach is designed to: 

• Foster generational wealth and leave a lasting legacy.
• Provide a stable source of income for participants.
• Offer support for housing and transportation needs.
• Create safe, inclusive spaces for open dialogue about barriers and mental health challenges.
• Enhance self-esteem and boost participants' sense of pride and self-worth.

If you're interested in volunteering, partnering, or becoming a participant in any of our initiatives, please reach out to swalker@prattlibrary.org or kbailey@prattlibrary.org.

Create Your Life Plan Now: Your Blueprint to Reentry 

Description of this workbook from the author, Vanessa Bright, Executive Director of the Maryland Reentry Resource Center:

"I created this workbook because I believe that reentry should begin the day after a person enters the correctional facility to serve his or her sentence. Instead, too often the process does not begin until a few months before release. This workbook focuses on soft skills, which we can take wherever we go in life, no matter what we do. Soft skills characterize how a person interacts in relationships with others, including communication, time management, problem-solving, and conflict resolution."

Click here for more information.

Baltimore Veteran Reentry Resources

The Baltimore Station

Know a veteran who is soon to be released with a substance use disorder? The Baltimore Station provides wraparound support programs for homeless veterans that has a workforce program, and  a free residential program. Click here for more information, and contact James Hardy at outreach@baltimorestation.org with any questions.

Housing in Howard County

Bridges to Housing Stability

Bridges to Housing Stability is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, serving Howard County, MD. Bridges believes that housing is the key to a household’s stability. Whether resolving the issue of homelessness or preventing a household from becoming homeless, our goal goes beyond crisis intervention – our approach and mission focuses on long term housing stability for our target populations.

MISSION: To provide a path to self-sufficiency to prevent and end homelessness through affordable housing solutions and advocacy in Howard County, Maryland.

VISION: To champion the eradication of homelessness in Howard County, Maryland.

For more information, please visit https://bridges2hs.org/

Housing in Prince George's County

DXT Therapeutic Foundation

Offers shared transitional wrap around housing in Prince George's County. Call (240)-838-3707 or Michelle Hare at (240)-676-2895 for assistance.

Housing in Baltimore City

Sheppard Pratt

Sheppard Pratt is offering a new residential treatment program for clients with co-occurring disorders. They offer rent support and other resources for apartments in Baltimore City. For more information, contact Ziva Ritchie at (410)-382-5426.

St. Ambrose

Four new housing spots/beds are available in partnership with Jacob's Well for justice-involved youth ages 18-24. Please contact Shalawn James at St. Ambrose for more information at shalawnj@stambros.org.

Other Information

April Submissions?

To be included in April's Newsletter, please make your submission by COB Wednesday, March 25th, 2026.

For more information and to make your April submission, visit the Submission Page here or send it to justice.reinvestment@maryland.gov.