[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
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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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