Unless steps are taken to overcome them, the legal and logistical barriers to accessing identification and public benefits upon release from prison or jail can impede or prohibit individuals' access to services during the critical period immediately following their release. Assessments of a prisoner's eligibility for benefits that are conducted during intake (Policy Statement 8, Development of Intake Procedure) must be updated as the prisoner approaches release to reflect changes in entitlement system rules and his or her personal information. The first few recommendations in this policy statement urge transition planners to coordinate efforts to assess the eligibility of individuals for the complex array of possible benefits during this pre-release period, and to facilitate the completion of applications for individuals seeking those benefits, as well as identification cards, immediately upon release. Subsequent recommendations describe ways in which policymakers can minimize or modify policies that unreasonably exclude individuals who have served sentences in prison or jail from receiving benefits or entitlements. Promoting access to benefits through these actions is an important step towards ensuring continuity of care (Policy Statement 27, Maintaining Continuity of Care), overcoming obstacles to employment (Policy Statement 28, Job Development and Supportive Employment), and promoting full community reintegration.

Recommendations:

A.

Ensure interagency collaboration to effectively screen inmates for eligibility for TANF, Medicaid, supplemental security income, food stamps, and other benefits, and to facilitate successful prerelease application for these benefits.

1.

In most states, individuals are released from prison without any documents that would enable them to obtain a state-issued identification card.

B.

Assess individuals in prison or jail for eligibility for veterans' benefits and services, and ensure access to those benefits for eligible individuals.

2.

The "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act" dramatically changed the American welfare system, and created several specific barriers to eligibility for public benefits for individuals with criminal records.

C.

Help inmates identify and apply for appropriate benefits and identification as part of their transition plan.

3.

State officials often have discretion in how they apply the 1996 welfare law and can opt out of the ban completely.

4.

For those who are eligible for public benefits, there is often a long application process delay.

D.

Ensure that documents issued by departments of corrections are accepted as valid identification by other agencies.

5.

Public housing agencies and providers of section 8 and other federally assisted housing are statutorily required to deny housing to certain individuals.

E.

Improve collaboration among agencies serving individuals re-entering the community.

6.

Housing providers have discretion in how they apply the bans.

F.

Ensure timely access to Medicaid after release for eligible individuals by suspending, instead of terminating, Medicaid benefits during incarceration.

7.

A Drug Provision added to the Higher Education Act in 1998 renders many individuals with drug convictions ineligible for student financial aid.

G.

Facilitate access to "nonrecurrent" TANF benefits by individuals with criminal records who are re-entering the community.

H.

Adopt a narrow definition of "in violation of a condition of parole/probation" for the purposes of TANF, food stamps, SSI & public housing.

I.

Adopt balanced admission and eviction policies for public housing that consider individual circumstances.

J.

Ensure continued Medicaid coverage for TANF families with parents who are released from prison or jail.