The Reducing Recidivism and Second Chance Act of 2007
S. 1060, Introduced March 29, 2007 by Senators Biden, Specter, Brownback & Leahy
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Purpose
The Reducing Recidivism and Second Chance Act of 2007 provides competitive grants to promote innovative programs to test out a variety of methods aimed at reducing recidivism rates. Efforts would be focused on post-release housing, education and job training, substance abuse and mental health services, and mentoring programs, just to name a few.
Need for this Legislation
Over two million people are serving time in our federal and state prisons, and millions more are in local jails. Ninety-five percent (approximately 650,000 per year) of all prisoners incarcerated today will eventually be released.
These offenders are currently reentering our communities with insufficient monitoring, little or no job skills (up to 60 percent are unemployed), inadequate drug treatment (between 57 and 70 percent of inmates used drugs regularly before incarceration), insufficient housing (15-27 percent expect to go to homeless shelters upon release), lack of positive influences, a paucity of basic physical and mental health services, and deficient basic life skills. Not surprisingly, two-thirds of released state prisoners are expected to be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years of release. The cost to society is enormous—the average annual cost of incarcerating a prisoner is $20,000, and the annual expenditures for incarceration increased more than six-fold between 1982 ($9 billion) and 2002 ($60 billion).
What the Bill Does
The Reducing Recidivism and Second Chance Act of 2007 authorizes $192 million annually to address these issues:
It reauthorizes and makes improvements to existing State and local government offender reentry program. The bill authorizes $50 million annually for the Department of Justice’s State and local grant program, increasing authorization levels, incorporating best practices from the reentry field, and requiring the measuring and reporting of performance outcomes
It authorizes new competitive grants for innovative programs to reduce recidivism. The bill authorizes $130 million each year in grants for State and local governments and public and private entities to develop and implement comprehensive substance abuse treatment programs, academic and vocational education programs, and housing and job counseling programs, and mentoring for offenders who are approaching release and who have been released. The bill requires grantees to establish performance goals and benchmarks and report performance outcomes to Congress.
It strengthens the Bureau of Prisons’ ability to provide reentry services to federal prisoners. The bill authorizes funds to improve federal offender reentry services and to establish an elderly non-violent offender pilot program.
It authorizes grants for research and best practices. The bill authorizes additional funds for research on innovative drug treatment methods, causes of recidivism, and methods to improve education and vocational training during incarceration and for the development of best practices.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Second Chance Passes out of House Judiciary Committee
Date:
3/28/2007 3:09:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
From:
gguerrero@osi-dc.org
The House Judiciary Committee passed out the Second Chance Act today after a 5 hour markup dealing with a lengthy series of proposed amendments by Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) designed to gut the bill. In addition to the efforts to bar discrimination against religious groups and add faith-based language (both of which would have jeopardized bipartisan support for the bill, he wanted to strip out reentry courts, eliminate family based programs, limit reentry services to no more than six months, and several others. With one exception the votes against his amendments were along party lines. Representatives Cannon and Coble voted against his amendment to strip out family based programs. Rep. Cabot also proposed a controversial mandatory restitution amendment that apparently could keep some reentering persons under criminal justice supervision indefinitely if they were unable to satisfy a restitution obligation. That amendment, which was identical to H.R. 845 introduced by Chabot, was also defeated.
There is a possibility that the Senate version of the Second Chance Act will be introduced tomorrow. As you know we need to do all we can to get cosponsors in both the House and Senate. I will be out of town the rest of this week and next week. The next reentry working group meeting is on Thursday, April 12.
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The next meeting of the reentry working group will be on Thursday, April 12th at noon at Open Society, 1120 19th St, NW, Washington. Sandwiches will be available so please rsvp if you can attend.
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The markup in the House Judiciary Committee’s crime subcommittee is on for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 27, following a 1:00 pm hearing on mental health issues in the criminal justice system. The hearing and the markup will be in 2141 Rayburn. Come if you can. Please do whatever you can to urge Representatives to promptly cosponsor the Second Chance Act, H.R. 1593. The full Judiciary Committee may act on the Second Chance Act on Wednesday. Please urge all Judiciary Committee supporters of the Second Chance Act to attend the markups. Republican Louie Gohmert (R-TX) is expected to again offer amendments designed to stop the bill. A list of Judiciary Committee members is below.
Jeremy reports that Senate staffers hope to introduce the Senate version of the bill this week. That is a bit up in the air because one key staffer is dealing with a family emergency. But they hope to move the bill quickly through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The reentry working group met this morning, 3/26, to review needed action. Congressman Davis’s key staffers attended and announced that they are sending out a dear colleague letter urging cosponsorship. Congressman Cannon’s staffer also attended. They plan a joint Davis/Cannon op-ed urging prompt enactment of the Second Chance Act. There was discussion of asking the editorial board of the Post for a meeting. Gene, Jessica and Kara will explore that possibility. Charles Brown with Rep Davis suggested focusing on the recent PEW report on projected increases in prison populations in media outreach. It was suggested that Clarence Page be approached. The Wash Times carries his column.
Jessica will ask key Senate staffers about preparation of a letter from Judiciary members to Senator Leahy urging prompt action on the Second Chance Act. There was discussion of the need to quickly reach out to Senate offices to get them to cosponsor. Jessica will reach out to Kyl, Sanders; Jan will reach out to Pryor, Cochran; Jeremy will reach out to Feinstein, Salazar, Collins, Tester, Menendez, and Murray; Greg will reach out to Boxer, Akaka, Hagel, Schumer, Bennett, Hatch, McCain, Graham, and Corker; Steve will reach out to Dodd, Lieberman, Harkin, Reed; Barbara Durkin will reach out to Obama, Kerry; Gene will reach out to Mikulski, Lautenberg, Bingaman, Clinton, Dole; Abeo will reach out to Cardin and Brown; Miriam will reach out to Klobuchar and Casey; Kara will reach out to McCaskill and Webb; Sara will reach out to Whitehouse; Malika will reach out to Cantwell.
The reentry working group presented framed copies of the cover page of last year’s Second Chance Act with notes of appreciation from working group members to Second Chance staffers Caleb Gilchrist, Dave Turk, and Jorge Castro who have moved on to other Hill positions. Jessica Nickel with the CSG prepared the awards and presented them to the staffers on behalf of the working group.
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House Judiciary Committee Members
3/28/2007 3:09:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
From:
gguerrero@osi-dc.org
The House Judiciary Committee passed out the Second Chance Act today after a 5 hour markup dealing with a lengthy series of proposed amendments by Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) designed to gut the bill. In addition to the efforts to bar discrimination against religious groups and add faith-based language (both of which would have jeopardized bipartisan support for the bill, he wanted to strip out reentry courts, eliminate family based programs, limit reentry services to no more than six months, and several others. With one exception the votes against his amendments were along party lines. Representatives Cannon and Coble voted against his amendment to strip out family based programs. Rep. Cabot also proposed a controversial mandatory restitution amendment that apparently could keep some reentering persons under criminal justice supervision indefinitely if they were unable to satisfy a restitution obligation. That amendment, which was identical to H.R. 845 introduced by Chabot, was also defeated.
There is a possibility that the Senate version of the Second Chance Act will be introduced tomorrow. As you know we need to do all we can to get cosponsors in both the House and Senate. I will be out of town the rest of this week and next week. The next reentry working group meeting is on Thursday, April 12.
-----------------
The next meeting of the reentry working group will be on Thursday, April 12th at noon at Open Society, 1120 19th St, NW, Washington. Sandwiches will be available so please rsvp if you can attend.
---------
The markup in the House Judiciary Committee’s crime subcommittee is on for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 27, following a 1:00 pm hearing on mental health issues in the criminal justice system. The hearing and the markup will be in 2141 Rayburn. Come if you can. Please do whatever you can to urge Representatives to promptly cosponsor the Second Chance Act, H.R. 1593. The full Judiciary Committee may act on the Second Chance Act on Wednesday. Please urge all Judiciary Committee supporters of the Second Chance Act to attend the markups. Republican Louie Gohmert (R-TX) is expected to again offer amendments designed to stop the bill. A list of Judiciary Committee members is below.
Jeremy reports that Senate staffers hope to introduce the Senate version of the bill this week. That is a bit up in the air because one key staffer is dealing with a family emergency. But they hope to move the bill quickly through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The reentry working group met this morning, 3/26, to review needed action. Congressman Davis’s key staffers attended and announced that they are sending out a dear colleague letter urging cosponsorship. Congressman Cannon’s staffer also attended. They plan a joint Davis/Cannon op-ed urging prompt enactment of the Second Chance Act. There was discussion of asking the editorial board of the Post for a meeting. Gene, Jessica and Kara will explore that possibility. Charles Brown with Rep Davis suggested focusing on the recent PEW report on projected increases in prison populations in media outreach. It was suggested that Clarence Page be approached. The Wash Times carries his column.
Jessica will ask key Senate staffers about preparation of a letter from Judiciary members to Senator Leahy urging prompt action on the Second Chance Act. There was discussion of the need to quickly reach out to Senate offices to get them to cosponsor. Jessica will reach out to Kyl, Sanders; Jan will reach out to Pryor, Cochran; Jeremy will reach out to Feinstein, Salazar, Collins, Tester, Menendez, and Murray; Greg will reach out to Boxer, Akaka, Hagel, Schumer, Bennett, Hatch, McCain, Graham, and Corker; Steve will reach out to Dodd, Lieberman, Harkin, Reed; Barbara Durkin will reach out to Obama, Kerry; Gene will reach out to Mikulski, Lautenberg, Bingaman, Clinton, Dole; Abeo will reach out to Cardin and Brown; Miriam will reach out to Klobuchar and Casey; Kara will reach out to McCaskill and Webb; Sara will reach out to Whitehouse; Malika will reach out to Cantwell.
The reentry working group presented framed copies of the cover page of last year’s Second Chance Act with notes of appreciation from working group members to Second Chance staffers Caleb Gilchrist, Dave Turk, and Jorge Castro who have moved on to other Hill positions. Jessica Nickel with the CSG prepared the awards and presented them to the staffers on behalf of the working group.
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House Judiciary Committee Members
Democrats
Conyers, John (MI), Chair Berman, Howard L. (CA) Boucher, Rick (VA) Nadler, Jerrold (NY) Scott, Bobby (VA) Watt, Melvin (NC) Lofgren, Zoe (CA) Jackson Lee, Sheila (TX) Waters, Maxine (FL) Meehan, Marty (MA) Delahunt, William (MA) Wexler, Robert (FL) Sanchez, Linda (CA) Weiner, Anthony (NY) Schiff, Adam (CA) Cohen, Steven (TN)
Gutierrez, Luis(IL) Sherman, Brad (CA) Davis, Artur (AL) Ellison, Keith (MN)
Republicans
Smith, Lamar (TX), Ranking Member Sensenbrenner, James (WI) Coble, Howard (NC) Gallegly, Elton (CA) Goodlatte, Bob (VA) Chabot, Steve (OH) Lungren, Dan (CA) Cannon, Chris (UT) Keller, Ric (FL) Issa, Darrell (CA) Pence, Mike (IN) Forbes, Randy (VA) King, Steve (IA) Feeney, Tom (FL) Franks, Trent (AZ) Gohmert, Louie (TX) Jordan, Jim (OH)
Gene Guerrero
Open Society Institute/Open Society Policy Center
1120 19th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: 202-721-5607
Fax: 202-530-0128
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