PROMOTING
SAFE, SUCCESSFUL RE-ENTRY AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY FOR PEOPLE LEAVING JAIL OR
PRISON
WHEREAS, according to the
U.S. Department of Justice, more than 10 million persons will be released from
city and county jails this year. In
addition, more than 600,000 adults will be released from state and federal
prisons this year to return to our communities. Currently one of every 75 men lived in prison or jail, and half
of these inmates are incarcerated for a non-violent offense; and
WHEREAS, persons leaving jail or prison often lack not only the most
basic needs of food, shelter and clothes, but job skills, training and
placement as well as transitional housing and support services (such as
substance abuse and mental health treatment).
Further, many former detainees or prisoners are denied employment,
educational assistance, TANF benefits, subsidized housing, parental rights,
medical assistance and health care, driver’s licenses, and the right to vote,
to name a few. These barriers often
prevent effective reintegration back into society; and
WHEREAS, two-thirds (67.5%) of local detainees
and state prisoners will be rearrested within three years of their release from
jail or prison, and half (52%) will be reincarcerated for either a new offense
or a violation of the terms of their release if they do not receive these vital
supports; continuing the cycle of crime and despair; and
WHEREAS,
studies prove incarceration has high impact on the family. Children of prisoners have a 70% greater
chance of following their parents into prison.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates 1.5 million children in the
U.S. had a parent in a state or federal prison in 1999 – an increase of 500,000
since 1991, and over 7 million children have a parent under some form of
correctional supervision. Long term
generational effects of a social structure in which imprisonment is the norm
have significant outcomes on families; and
WHEREAS, the
social costs of reentry have profound collateral consequences, including public
health risks, homelessness, unemployment and public safety concerns. More than two thirds of the incarcerated
population has a high rate of infectious disease, substance abuse and/or mental
health disorders. Close to 27% of
prisoners expect to go to homeless shelters upon release from prison, and 16%
of the local jail population is mentally ill. Recent data proves two thirds of all
prisoners released return to the nation’s core cities and counties; and
WHEREAS, cities and counties across the nation are absorbing the
economic cost of reentry. Without
adequate support mechanisms, formerly incarcerated individuals are highly
likely to reoffend, and the high recidivism rates have direct economic
consequences. The average cost per day
to house a federal or state inmate is $69, or over $25,000 a year. Likewise, the cost associated with housing
an inmate per day in a local jail facility is $59, or over $21,00 a year. Significant
portions of state and local government budgets are now invested in the criminal
justice system. Costs associated with
keeping people incarcerated in this country in 1999 alone neared $147 billion. According to
the Bureau of Justice Statistics, local governments contributed the most (51%)
to criminal justice – almost $75 billion in 1999. Lastly, prisons drain resources from colleges and universities,
and leaders in higher education and the business community are beginning to
question the societal implications of this allocation of resources; and
WHEREAS, city
and county governments have received very limited federal or state assistance
in providing adequate programming at the local level for non-violent mentally
ill offenders who often end up inappropriately confined in city and county
jails. Proper treatment, discharge
planning, and continuity of medical care in the community have proven effective
in helping foster successful reentry and prevent rearrest or reincarceration
for these individuals; and
WHEREAS, President Bush has proposed a
four-year, $300 million initiative in his FY 2005 budget to reduce recidivism
and the societal costs of reincarceration by helping inmates find work when
returning to their communities harnessing the resources and experience of faith
and community based organizations working through three federal departments
which include the Department of Labor, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, and the Department of Justice to provide job training and
placement, transitional housing, and mentoring for prisoners returning back to
society; and
WHEREAS,
Representative Danny Davis (IL), Representative Mark Souder (IN) and others
introduced H.R. 2166, The Public Safety Ex-Offender Self-Sufficiency Act of
2003, on May 20, 2003. The Public
Safety Ex-Offender Self Sufficiency Acts amends the Internal Revenue Service
Code of 1986 to provide for a temporary ex-offender low-income housing tax
credits to encourage the provision of housing, job training, and other
essential services to ex-offenders through a structured living environment
designed to assist prisoners in becoming self-sufficient; and
WHEREAS, Representative Rob Portman (OH), Representative Danny Davis
(IL), Representative Mark Souder (IN), and Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones
(IN) introduced a bipartisan bill called the Second Chance Act of 2004 on June
23, 2004. The Second Chance Act of 2004 is targeted to provide support for
state and local reentry demonstration projects, encourages reentry coordination
between and among different levels of government and non-governmental service
providers, and calls for review of barriers faced by former prisoners. Overall, the proposal calls to increase
public safety, strengthen families, prevent crime, restore victims, and reduce
costs at the federal, state and local levels by reducing recidivism among
individuals reentering society after imprisonment; and
WHEREAS, The
U.S. Conference of Mayors, through its Mayors Center for Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives, held a summit on April 28, 2004 to discuss the issue of
reentry into the nation’s communities.
This is the first in a series of forums and comprehensive strategies
focused on coordinating the national efforts of the city officials, community
and faith leaders, local law enforcement, probation, parole and prisons to
facilitate and foster safe, successful reentry through the following
recommendations,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The
U.S. Conference of Mayors supports efforts to more effectively integrate
persons leaving jail or prison back into
society, particularly efforts which promote job training and job placement;
transitional housing fostering a continuum of care and holistic approach;
mentoring for prisoners and children of prisoners; family reunification; life
skills training and education; substance abuse, mental health treatment and
voting rights; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S.
Conference of Mayors supports providing federal support to both state and local
governments in a way that encourages and strengthens increased reentry
coordination among state and local government agencies and non-governmental
service providers, including faith and community-based providers, as well as
providing transitional case managers to assist offenders; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S.
Conference of Mayors supports establishing appropriate processes to ensure both
state and local governments are on equal footing in developing collaborative
partnerships at the state and local level on reentry, including adequate
representation and input of local governments; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S.
Conference of Mayors supports exploring the elimination of counter-productive
barriers which impede successful and safe reentry; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S.
Conference of Mayors supports efforts to provide self-sufficiency to persons
leaving jail or prison, such as the Public Safety Ex-Offender Self-Sufficiency
Act and the Second Chance Act, and the efforts of the Mayors Center for
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to inform, educate and train mayors,
city-designated faith-based liaisons, and other public servants on how to best
engage faith and community leaders, particularly focusing on efforts which
target effective societal reentry and self-sufficiency for people leaving jail
or prison; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that The U.S. Conference of Mayors will convene and spearhead a broader effort
through its Mayors Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to create a
National Reentry Consortium comprised of several national public interest
groups, community advocacy associations, faith and religious leaders, city
governments, universities and other experts representative of the Reentry field
to do the following in a broad based national manner: 1) educational and media outreach; 2) technical assistance to help
localities implement Best Practice models; 3) information exchange and
dissemination; and 3) advocacy and
policy outreach on reentry issues.
©2004 U.S. Conference of Mayors 