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eNewsletter - April 17, 2008
The Second Chance Act Signed Into Law
President Bush signed the Second Chance Act into law on April 9th. The new law will help States and localities better address the needs of individuals reentering the community from the criminal justice system. A broad-based coalition of law enforcement, religious, addiction prevention, treatment and recovery and civil rights organizations joined a bi-partisan group of US Senators and Representatives to make this important victory possible.
The new law authorizes $362 million to expand assistance for people currently incarcerated, those returning to their communities after incarceration, and children with parents in prison. It authorizes $55 million for grants to States and local areas to create or strengthen the systems that help adults and youth transition into the community when they are released from incarceration by providing drug and mental health treatment, job training and education opportunities, housing and other necessary services.
When he signed the Second Chance Act into law, the President stated that “the country was built on the belief that each human being has limitless potential and worth. Everybody matters. We believe that even those who have struggled with a dark past can find brighter days ahead. One way we act on that belief is by helping former prisoners who've paid for their crimes -- we help them build new lives as productive members of our society.”
The Second Chance Act was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in November of last year by a bi-partisan 347 to 62 vote. The U.S. Senate passed the legislation in March by unanimous consent. Chief sponsors Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL), Chris Cannon (R-UT) and 14 additional bi-partisan Members introduced the House version of the Second Chance Act, H.R. 1593; and Senators Joe Biden (D-DE), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced S. 1060, the Senate version of the Second Chance Act.
The centerpiece of the Second Chance Act is the reauthorization of a Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program for people returning to the community from incarceration. For a complete overview of the Second Chance Act, click here.
The Second Chance Act authorizes $320 million in grant programs for the next two fiscal years. However, no funds have been allocated for the programs authorized in the Second Chance Act. Funding must be secured through the annual appropriations process currently underway in Congress.
The Second Chance Act was first introduced in 2004, by then-Representative Rob Portman (R-OH) and Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), to help the nearly 700,000 people leaving prison each year. It quickly gained broad bipartisan support and earned the backing of law enforcement, state and local government, religious and justice reform organizations.