Second Step Act
South Carolina
Workforce training for incarcerated people within 2 years of release.
Strong Reform Potential
This initiative shows strong predicted outcomes across most impact dimensions. Minor gaps in political feasibility or implementation complexity are the primary risk factors. With adequate resourcing and stakeholder alignment, high success probability.
Reentry Reform Context
The moment of release is a critical inflection point.
67% of people released from prison are rearrested within 3 years — largely due to the 'invisible punishments' that follow a conviction: ineligibility for housing, employment, education, and public benefits. Reentry programs address these structural barriers. The most effective combine housing support, employment pathways, and peer mentorship.
Impact, Operations and Cost
This reform shows meaningful projected impact for South Carolina. It addresses core systemic drivers with evidence-supported mechanisms, though targeted improvements to its weakest dimensions would significantly increase effectiveness. As of 2021, this initiative is actively operating and accumulating outcome data.
Reentry programs provide structured support to individuals transitioning out of incarceration. Services typically begin 60 to 90 days before release and continue for 12 to 24 months post-release. Core components include housing placement assistance, employment readiness and job placement, benefits enrollment (Medicaid, SNAP, Social Security), peer mentorship from individuals with lived experience, and ongoing case management. Some programs operate through community-based organizations under government contract, others through direct corrections department programming.
Comprehensive reentry programs cost between $3,500 and $12,000 per participant, depending on service intensity and duration. Return on investment is typically 4:1 to 8:1 when accounting for avoided reincarceration costs at an average of $38,000 per year.
Program development and contract procurement takes 9 to 18 months. Pre-release services begin 60 to 90 days before projected release dates. Post-release support typically runs 12 to 24 months. Measurable recidivism outcomes are reportable at the 36-month follow-up mark.
- →20 to 35 percent reduction in 3-year recidivism among program completers
- →40 to 60 percent increase in employment rates at 12 months post-release
- →Significant reduction in returns to incarceration for technical violations
- →Improved housing stability, with 70 percent of participants in stable housing at 6 months
Similar Reforms in Other States
Data Sources
Program data sourced from state legislative records and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Impact metrics from Bureau of Justice Statistics, RAND Corporation criminal justice research, Vera Institute, and The Sentencing Project. AltReform scores generated by our ML model trained on 20+ years of state-level reform outcomes. Statistics are the most recent available (2021–2024).