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The statistics are grim: About one in 100 American adults is in prison. Almost two-thirds of released inmates will be back in jail within three years.

But, thanks to an act just signed into law by President George W. Bush and backed from the beginning by U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., those stats may soon improve.

The Second Chance Act allots $165 million annually for programs to help nonviolent released prisoners as they re-enter society.

It provides grants for nonprofits to set up mentoring programs. Those going through such programs are much less likely to return to crime.

It also focuses on another big trigger for jail: substance abuse. Providing funds for addiction treatment and mental health services should help some inmates kick harmful habits that lead them to commit crimes.

It will provide money for other programs to help the incarcerated make a successful transition back into the community, such as those focusing on employment and housing.

Finally, it will collect information on "best practices" to use to help released prisoners and will train people to apply them.

Local people, such as the youth crime task force established by Greensboro City Council member Goldie Wells, should keep an eye on this new source of funding. It could provide money for groups that the task force might establish to provide mentoring for released juvenile offenders.

The reality, though, is that the new funding that the Second Chance Act will provide is little compared to the $60 billion the country now spends annually keeping people behind bars.

Still, the legislation was four years in the making, and it’s an achievement that it was passed.

A step in the right direction is better than no step at all.

To comment on this editorial, visit the blog Your Voice at the Table.