Senate Passes Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025

On October 9, 2025, the Senate passed the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 1843) as an amendment, sponsored by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 would continue critical recidivism-reduction and reentry services nationwide, including substance use disorder treatment. The NDAA passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 77-20. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.

The bill reauthorizes essential grant programs focused on reentry efforts, including housing, career training and job placement, and substance use disorder and mental health treatment. To date, Second Chance grants have reached more than 442,000 justice-involved individuals who participated in reentry services or parole and probation programs. From 2009 to 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice awarded over 1,300 Second Chance Act grants to 871 state, local, territories, and tribal governments and reentry-focused organizations in 49 states, territories, and the District of Columbia. 

Compared to the general population, a disproportionate number of people in the criminal justice system struggle with mental illnesses or substance use disorders. A 2009, study found that more than half of the people in state prisons and two-thirds of people in jail met the criteria for “drug dependence." Second Chance Act programs can assist people with substance use disorders in more successfully reentering their communities, as research has found overdose is the leading cause of death for people reentering their communities from correctional settings, and substance use disorder treatment has been found to reduce recidivism. 

Click to Tweet to Thank Senator Capito

Addiction Policy Forum thanks Senator Capito for sponsoring the amendment and ensuring that communities across the country have access to reentry services, including substance use disorder treatment services.

Click to Tweet to thank Senator Capito.