[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13020]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            REINTEGRATING EX-OFFENDERS BACK INTO NORMAL LIFE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, the problem of successfully 
reintegrating ex-offenders back into normal life is one of the major 
issues facing especially low-income and minority communities throughout 
the Nation.
  This problem continues to fester throughout the United States of 
America. It is indeed a social as well as a public safety problem. 
Nearly 650,000 people are being released from Federal and State prisons 
this year. There are over 3,200 jails throughout the United States, the 
vast majority of which are operated by county governments. Each year 
these jails will release in excess of 10,000 people back into 
communities throughout the Nation. We will continue to have these 
massive releases over the next several years. The massive increase in 
incarceration in the United States that occurred during the past 25 
years now must turn public attention toward the consequences of 
incarceration without providing meaningful rehabilitation measures and 
access to reentry programs and opportunities.
  As we know, the large numbers of ex-offenders being released from 
prison will cause enormous public safety problems for many communities, 
especially where large numbers of ex-offenders will return and live in 
the same neighborhoods.
  The Justice Department reported that the cost of crime to victims is 
approximately $450 billion a year. Therefore, these communities will 
absorb the high cost of further victimization as a result of the 
presence of such a high number of ex-offenders.
  The Congressional Black Caucus is concerned about the administration 
not requesting or adequately funding the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice 
Assistance Grant Program, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment 
Program, Gang Prevention Program, Juvenile Accountability Block Grant, 
Juvenile Delinquency Block Grants and other programs.
  The Congressional Black Caucus recommended increasing the funding 
level up to $3.1 billion for Justice programs and to expand the re-
entry programs for nonviolent ex-offenders to facilitate their 
transition from prison to normal community life.
  The CBC wants to ensure that specific programs are receiving adequate 
funding to prevent crime, increase public safety, and reduce 
recidivism. We, of course, can do that by passing the Second Chance 
Reentry Bill that now has more than 100 sponsors in the House, 22 
sponsors in the Senate, is actually awaiting markup in the Judiciary 
Committee. And I would urge all of my colleagues to sign on, join up, 
help rehabilitate and prepare the individuals who are coming home from 
jail and prison. Support the Second Chance Reentry Bill.

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