[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 66 (Monday, April 6, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 19369-19370]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07309]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 66 / Monday, April 6, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 19369]]


                Proclamation 10005 of March 31, 2020

                
Second Chance Month, 2020

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As Americans, we believe that every person has unbound 
                potential. It is therefore important that we offer 
                former inmates who have served their sentences and 
                learned from their earlier mistakes the opportunity for 
                redemption through a second chance to become productive 
                members of society. During Second Chance Month, we 
                celebrate those who have set out to create better lives 
                following incarceration and recommit to helping former 
                inmates contribute to the strength and prosperity of 
                our Nation.

                In 2018, I signed into law the First Step Act, landmark 
                legislation that brought needed reform to our criminal 
                justice system. The First Step Act reduced penalties 
                and eliminated the three-strike mandatory life sentence 
                provision for certain non-violent offenders. This 
                legislation also expanded judges' discretion to impose 
                sentences that are below the mandatory minimum for drug 
                offenders with little or no criminal history. 
                Additionally, it allows certain low-level drug 
                offenders to petition the courts for a review of their 
                sentence, which a judge can reduce after reviewing all 
                the circumstances, including public safety, criminal 
                history, and the nature of the offense. Further, 
                through expanded rehabilitative programs my 
                Administration has established in accordance with this 
                legislation, inmates are receiving training and 
                education to help them develop skills that will help 
                them re-enter society successfully. Based on an 
                assessment of their risk of recidivism and needs, 
                inmates that complete some of these programs can secure 
                early release to home confinement or a halfway house.

                While we must be tough on crime, we can also be smart 
                about reducing recidivism. One of the best ways to 
                break the cycle of crime is to help former inmates find 
                rewarding work. That is why my Administration is 
                promoting second chance hiring to build on the reforms 
                of the First Step Act and help former inmates live 
                crime-free lives. I launched the Federal Interagency 
                Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry Council to 
                create more second chances for those returning home 
                from prison. We are also working to expand Pell Grants 
                to provide education and training to inmates before 
                release and providing grants to States to expand their 
                use of fidelity bonds to help persons with criminal 
                records find gainful employment.

                This month, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all who 
                know in their hearts that redemption is possible. 
                Second chances are possible only through a network of 
                people who believe in themselves and others, former 
                inmates determined to improve their lives, judges and 
                public servants dedicated to reducing recidivism, and 
                families and community members willing to lend their 
                support to people striving to triumph over their past 
                mistakes.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim April 2020 as Second 
                Chance Month. I call on all Americans to commemorate 
                this month with events and activities that raise public 
                awareness about preventing crime and providing those 
                who have completed their sentences an opportunity for 
                an honest second chance.

[[Page 19370]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-07309
Filed 4-3-20; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P