[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12521-S12522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE SECOND CHANCE ACT

  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today to speak in favor of the 
Second Chance Act, a bill to strengthen community safety by improving 
the reintegration of people returning from prison. I am pleased to work 
with Senators Specter, Biden, and Brownback and to be an original 
cosponsor of this bill.
  This year, approximately 650,000 prisoners will be released into 
communities across America communities in which all of us live. They 
will have paid their debt to society and will now return to their homes 
and neighborhoods, to their families, and back to their lives. Their 
communities are our communities; their success is an important part of 
our success as a larger community and a nation.
  The problem is that for most of these men--and more than 9 out of 10 
of them are men--their families, neighborhoods, and prior lives often 
lack what it takes to ensure successful reintegration. If we punish 
crime, as we should, then we must also recognize that when punishment 
is concluded, there are lives that must be resumed constructively. We 
only hurt ourselves and our own communities if we fail.
  That is why the Second Chance Act is so important. It is the leading 
edge of a smart community response to the challenges we all face from 
this inevitable feature of our justice system.
  In the best of cases, incarcerated individuals maintain contact with 
their families and receive rehabilitation services while in prison; 
they are released to a network of law-abiding peers and quickly find a 
rewarding job that provides the skills and career development for long-
term opportunity. Released prisoners can help support their families, 
become active in their churches and other community organizations, stay 
off drugs, away from trouble, on track, and out of jail.
  Unfortunately, that rarely happens. Up to two-thirds of all released 
prisoners nationwide end up back in prison within just 3 years. That 
means that of the 1,800 people released from prisons every single day 
in this country, almost 1,200 fail to make a successful transition into 
the world of work and responsibility. They do not manage to find and 
keep effective jobs and to care for themselves and their families. Many 
become a drain on their families and a drain on the system. They are 
more likely to resort to criminal activity and to perpetuate poverty 
and family dysfunction.
  And their failure is our failure since we all share the high cost and 
other burdens of unemployment, crime, community failure, and cycles of 
recidivism.
  The Illinois Department of Corrections released almost 40,000 people 
in 2004. A recent Chicago study found that only 30 percent of former 
prisoners were employed when interviewed 4 to 8 months after release, 
and of those who succeeded in finding at least some form of legal 
employment, the average cumulative length of employment was 13 weeks. 
The same study found that 81 percent of former prisoners were 
uninsured, and only 29 percent of those working full time had health 
insurance. Of the people released by the Illinois Department of 
Corrections three years ago, almost 55 percent of adults and 47 percent 
of juveniles have already returned to custody. This is a revolving door 
of failure that must stop.
  Fortunately, smart people in hundreds of communities and community 
organizations all across the country have figured out ways to improve 
this performance and create constructive places for former prisoners in 
society. It is in the best interest of all of us and the communities we 
live in to provide the resources to take these effective strategies to 
scale. That is what the Second Chance Act does.
  In Illinois, dozens of organizations are involved in safely 
reintegrating former prisoners into their communities, and many have 
been funded by the Illinois Department of Corrections through grants 
from the U.S. Department of Justice. As one example, the Safer 
Foundation has managed to cut the State's recidivism rate by almost 50 
percent for the people who receive Safer's supportive employment 
services. And Safer has further demonstrated that ex-prisoners who are 
still employed after 12 months of supportive services have a recidivism 
rate of lower than 10 percent. One of Safer's program models, funded by 
the U.S. Department of Labor, provides participants with job placement 
and support services, and matches them with mentors from the 
neighborhoods where the participants reside. Only 2 percent of the 
participants in this community and faith-based program have recidivated 
over a 2-year period.
  One of the most effective strategies that Safer, the Heartland 
Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, and other nonprofit 
organizations have devised is transitional jobs, a strategy that worked 
for welfare to work, and is now working for prison returnees. In a 
transitional jobs program, former prisoners with employment challenges 
are hired and paid a wage for legitimate employment in a time-limited, 
subsidized job. The program not only offers real work, income, skill 
development, and a letter of reference and experience to add to their 
resume, it also offers coaching and support services to help 
participants overcome substantial barriers to employment, such as 
substance abuse or mental health issues. The program focuses heavily on 
placement into unsubsidized work at the earliest possible time and job 
retention services after placement. Studies of successful transitional 
jobs programs have found that transitional jobs result in a 33 percent 
increase in employment when compared to other types of employment 
preparation programs, and that 81 percent to 94 percent of transitional 
job graduates go on to unsubsidized employment at wages between $7 and 
$10 per hour.
  The participants gain an immediate source of legitimate income upon 
release. They also gain paid work experience, access to professional 
counseling and training services, and a clear path to unsubsidized 
employment in the community. Employers gain access to a pipeline of 
supported workers who have demonstrated an ability to do the job and 
remain employable. Most of all, our communities gain by creating a 
productive place for ex-prisoners, where they contribute positively to 
family, neighborhood, and the larger environment rather than the 
opposite.
  The ex-prisoner population is a challenging one to serve. It is 
estimated that 95 percent of unskilled jobs in this country require a 
high school diploma or some work experience. But 40 percent of released 
prisoners lack a high school diploma or GED--more than

[[Page S12522]]

twice the rate for the general population over 18. And 38 percent of 
prisoners without high school degrees were unemployed just prior to 
being incarcerated, compared to 25 percent for those with high school 
diplomas.

  In prison, only about one-third of inmates receive vocational 
training or work experience designed to improve their ability to obtain 
legitimate employment once released. And very few former incarcerated 
individuals receive job counseling and placement services after their 
release.
  Because of the low pay, lack of benefits, and lack of advancement 
potential of many formal work activities, informal and illegal 
activities may be tempting. Especially considering that an estimated 70 
percent of State prison inmates have a history of regular drug use, and 
very few receive formal treatment in prison.
  Most communities where prisoners go upon release already struggle 
with high poverty, unemployment, fragile families, and a dearth of 
jobs. In Illinois, for example, 54 percent of those released from 
prison return to just seven communities around Chicago. These 
communities are among the poorest in Chicago and are ill prepared for 
the additional burden of reintegrating young men with criminal records, 
spotty employment histories, low skills and education.
  Former prisoners also face employer resistance to hiring people with 
criminal backgrounds. One study found that applicants with criminal 
records experienced a 50 percent reduction in job offers for entry 
level jobs, compared to those without records. This was compounded by 
racial bias as black former inmates experienced at 64 percent reduction 
in offers.
  Other barriers include one documented by a recent study in Illinois 
in which only 22 percent percent of the prisoners had a photo 
identification card at the time of release. And most prisoners have 
financial and other obligations, including child support and the 
conditions of their release, that require immediate attention.
  Notwithstanding the barriers to successful reentry, however, faith 
based and community based organizations have been achieving positive 
results with the released prisoner population for years. The Second 
Chance Act celebrates the potential of nonprofit community 
organizations working with State and local authorities and corrections 
departments to promote responsible parenting and sustainable 
employment, and to reduce recidivism.
  This bill will make funding available to the Attorney General to 
support and evaluate the efforts of innovative communities and local 
service providers. Grants can be used to expand access to transitional 
jobs programs and to transitional and permanent housing, to support 
health services, to support the children of incarcerated parents and 
the maintenance of healthy parent-child relationships, to address 
literacy and educational needs, and to ensure that appropriate job 
training, placement, and retention services are available.
  Priority under the Second Chance Act will be given to projects that 
serve geographic areas with large ex-prisoner populations, to projects 
that include partnerships with nonprofit organizations, and to projects 
that provide consultations between victims and ex-prisoners. Priority 
will also be given to projects that consider appropriate reforms of 
sanctions for technical post-release violations, and to projects that 
establish pre-release procedures to connect participants to the State 
and Federal benefits and referrals to social and health services for 
which they are eligible.
  And by maintaining a strict focus on measurable results and data 
collection, the Second Chance Act will help us learn what works and 
what does not work.
  Too many people are caught up in the criminal justice system. 
Especially within the African American community where 32 percent of 
black males will enter State or Federal prison sometime during their 
lifetime. Communities are protected and strengthened when people who 
break the law are punished appropriately. But communities--all 
communities, including yours and mine are weakened if we neglect the 
challenges of rehabilitation and reentry.
  To improve the integration of former prisoners and to reduce 
recidivism is in all of our best interests. A well-designed reentry 
system can enhance public safety, reduce recidivism, reduce costs, and 
help prisoners achieve long-term integration. Former prisoners who are 
engaged in lawful work after they have returned to the community are 
less likely to commit new crimes and are more likely to be involved in 
their children's lives.
  The Second Chance Act is an important effort to strengthen America's 
communities. The bill is supported by a wide range of organizations, 
and I urge my colleagues to join us in passing this important 
legislation.

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