[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 89 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3778-S3779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PORTMAN (for himself, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. Rubio):
  S. 1513. A bill to reauthorize the Second Chance Act of 2007; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today I join with Senator Portman to 
reintroduce the bipartisan Second Chance Reauthorization Act. This 
legislation builds on the success of the original law and takes 
important new steps to ensure that people coming out of prison are 
given a fair chance to turn their lives around. When inmates are 
released from prison, they face many

[[Page S3779]]

challenges, including finding housing and employment, combating 
substance abuse, and accessing physical and mental healthcare. This 
legislation aims to improve their ability to reenter society, become 
productive members of their families and communities, and reduce the 
likelihood that they will reoffend. Investing in reentry services has 
been proven to reduce recidivism and bring down prison costs. It is 
also the right thing to do.
  This legislation is urgently needed. While the United States is home 
to less than 5 percent of the world's population, we have nearly 25 
percent of the world's prison population. With more than two million 
people behind bars, and 650,000 ex-offenders being released each year, 
we need to reauthorize these critical programs that reduce crime and 
increase public safety.
  Budgets at the State and Federal level are strained by our system of 
mass incarceration, and we all suffer as a result. The truth is that 
when so much money goes to locking people away, we have fewer resources 
for programs that actually prevent crime in the first place. Investing 
in reentry programs that break the cycle of crime helps reduce prison 
costs and keeps us all safer. That is why law enforcement groups like 
the National Association of Police Organizations support this bill. 
They understand better than most that we cannot afford to stay on our 
current path.
  My home State of Vermont was recently awarded a grant to implement a 
Statewide Recidivism Reduction Program through the Second Chance Act. 
The Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections, Andrew 
Pallito, says that he sees the positive impact of Second Chance 
programming every day. In Commissioner Pallito's words, ``The Second 
Chance Act is not just about giving incarcerated individuals another 
opportunity to succeed, it is about significantly improving the 
outcomes we all want for children, families and communities.''
  We have seen that these programs are succeeding in States across the 
country. North Carolina, with the help of six Second Chance grants, has 
reduced its recidivism rate by 18.1 percent since 2007. It has focused 
on individualized case planning, use of evidence-based practices, and 
coordination of services through local reentry councils.
  Georgia has reduced its recidivism rate by 13.5 percent since 2007 by 
directing greater resources to rehabilitation, community supervision, 
and programs addressing reentry needs. Thirteen Second Chance grants 
have helped support these successful efforts and the statewide 
incarceration rate has decreased by 4.8 percent.
  These programs are working, and it would be irresponsible not to 
continue supporting these critical efforts that are improving public 
safety and bringing down prison costs.
  I am introducing this bill so that it can be a part of our 
conversation in the Judiciary Committee and the full Senate about the 
urgent need for criminal justice reform. Recidivism rates at the State 
and local levels are unacceptably high. Nearly \2/3\ of former inmates 
are rearrested within 3 years of release and about half ofthem end up 
back behind bars. Any serious effort to address reform must include 
efforts to support reentry. Nearly all prisoners will return to our 
communities at some point and it is wise policy to help make that 
transition successful. We all benefit--our families, our neighborhoods, 
our economy--when people become productive, stable members of society. 
That is the goal of the Second Chance Act. That is why it is supported 
by American Probation and Parole Association, the National Association 
of Counties, the American Bar Association, and the United Methodist 
Church, among many others.
  Let me be specific. This bill will help former inmates overcome some 
of the obstacles they face in finding a job, a place to live, and 
accessing healthcare services. Meeting these basic needs has become 
increasingly difficult because people coming out of jail are too often 
treated as second class citizens for the rest of their lives. As a 
former prosecutor, I believe in tough sentences for those who break out 
laws. However, once someone has paid their debt to society, he should 
not be burdened by past mistakes forever.
  Chairman Grassley convened a Judiciary Committee hearing last month 
that highlighted just this issue. The hearing focused on the importance 
of the right to counsel for poor defendants charged with misdemeanors. 
During that hearing, we heard testimony about Melinda, a single mother 
in Ohio who suffered a seizure while cleaning her house. When the 
police and paramedics arrived, they found unsecured cleaning supplies 
and Melinda ended up with a conviction for child endangerment. Years 
later, she was fired from her job when her employer learned of her 
criminal record. This left her unable to pay her rent, buy food for her 
family, or lead a productive life. This is just not right, and it 
certainly does not make any of us safer.
  Any criminal conviction, no matter how minor, can hinder a person's 
chances of success for their entire lives. The Second Chance Act equips 
people to deal with this difficult environment, and that assistance 
starts before inmates are even released. Grants under this program have 
enabled states to hire case managers who meet with inmates while they 
are in jail to plan for their release, and continue to be a resource 
once they have returned home. Case managers help former offenders 
identify where to continue substance abuse treatment, apply for jobs, 
and enroll in parenting classes. They also help them build conflict 
resolution skills and avoid certain people or places that threaten 
their recovery.
  A key component to remaining crime-free is getting and keeping a job, 
and this reauthorization implements a new ``Transitional Jobs 
Strategy'' to help identify and address the root causes of chronic 
unemployment for ex-offenders. This new strategy will support those 
individuals committed to working hard and getting their lives back on 
track by offering programs like vocational education, life skills 
training, or child care services. I am proud of this addition to the 
bill and believe it will improve lives and stimulate our economy.
  We have learned from recent reports by the General Accounting Office 
and the Inspector General that our Nation's aging prison population is 
costing the Federal Bureau of Prisons millions every year due to their 
increasing medical needs. Many of these older prisoners no longer 
represent a threat to public safety, so this bill increases the 
discretion of prison officials to determine when inmates over 60 should 
be released to home detention. It simply doesn't make sense to spend 
money incarcerating and caring for elderly inmates who are not 
dangerous.
  Although the Second Chance reauthorization has passed with strong 
bipartisan support through the Judiciary Committee each of the last two 
Congresses, the act expired in 2010. We need to pass this legislation 
this Congress as part of comprehensive criminal justice reform.
  I am hopeful that with partners like Senator Portman and 
Representatives Sensenbrenner and Davis we will finally reauthorize it 
this Congress. We have been working hard to reach an agreement that is 
fair, fiscally responsible, and meets the needs of key stakeholders. We 
have the support of faith groups, law enforcement, and groups who 
provide services to the mentally ill and those struggling with 
addiction. This broad coalition has one thing in common--we all want to 
see our justice system work better.
  I thank Senator Portman, Representative Sensenbrenner, and 
Representative Davis for their hard work and cooperation. We have come 
together in a truly exceptional way in this bipartisan, bicameral 
effort. I look forward to joining with Democrats and Republicans to get 
this bill passed and signed into law.
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