Announcement for 09/26/06
State Legislatures Tackle Prisoner Reentry in 2005-2006
In response to growing concern over public spending, community safety, and high recidivism rates, Republican and Democrat state legislators across the U.S. are tackling a wide range of issues relating to the successful reentry of individuals released from prison and jail. CSG has identified several different legislative approaches to addressing reentry issues that have been signed into law this past year.The following statutes do not necessarily reflect the views of CSG members, and CSG does not promote any of these statutes as a model. CSG has not conducted an empirical investigation of the effects of the statutes described below or a comprehensive review of all related state legislation in this area. There may be states not identified in this article that passed legislation in 2006 related to the issues discussed below. To suggest other legislation relevant to prisoner reentry that passed this year, please email editors@reentrypolicy.org.
Though states passed legislation on a variety of reentry issues this year, the following examples focus on Job Training and Employment , Incarcerated Women and Family Services , Medical Records and Continuity of Healthcare , Reentry Studies and Task Forces , and Sex Offenders .
Job Training and Employment
According to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, recidivism rates of individuals who participate in prison education, vocation, and work programs are 20 to 60 percent lower than those who did not participate in such programs. But even those who do participate often struggle to apply the work experience they gained during incarceration and to find stable employment after release. Legislatures this year sought ways to connect releasees as smoothly as possible to the job market.
Virginia House Bill 691 , signed into law on March 23, 2006, requires the Department of Corrections to provide each prisoner upon release with verification of the individual's work history during incarceration and in-prison educational and treatment programs completed.
Other legislation relating to reentry job training and employment that passed this year:
Illinois Senate Bill 1279
Con necticut House Bill 5846
Tennessee Senate Bill 2557
> Back to top
Incarcerated Women and Family Services
While women are still a relatively small minority of the national inmate population, the rate of incarceration for women is rapidly increasing. Many women face particular gender-related challenges while incarcerated, including those involving childcare.
In response to the increasing number of women incarcerated in Hawaii, which tripled between 1985 and 1995, Hawaii Senate Bill 467 was signed into law on April 29, 2006. The law appropriates funds to support gender-responsive community-based programs that address substance abuse, family relationships, vocational education, work, prior victimization, and domestic violence.
Other legislation relating to incarcerated women and family services that passed this year:
Alabama House Joint Resolution 15
New Hampshire Senate Bill 262
Illinois House Joint Resolution 75
> Back to top
Medical Records and Continuity of Healthcare
Millions of people with serious mental health, physical health, and substance abuse issues are admitted to U.S. jails and prisons each year. Corrections agencies spend enormous amounts of money to provide healthcare for these individuals, but that investment may be wasted, and public safety jeopardized, if information about their medical conditions and treatment doesn't follow them through the criminal justice system and into the community when they are released.
In order to address some of these issues, Washington State passed House Bill 257 3 on March 17, 2006 to improve health care outcomes and contain the costs of providing health care. The bill directs the Department of Corrections to coordinate a strategy that will integrate electronic health records in two jails and one prison to facilitate the transfer of inmate health information between state and local correctional facilities.
Other legislation relating to medical records and continuity of healthcare that passed this year:
Virginia House Bill 1093
Idaho House Bill 430
> Back to top
Reentry Studies and Task Forces
Acquiring a clear understanding of the challenges facing, and posed by, men and women returning to a particular jurisdiction upon release from prison or jail is crucial to designing an effective reentry strategy. Policymakers should develop a knowledge base of existing reentry efforts, and explore data about the people that return from prison and the communities to which they return. Such efforts can help policymakers determine which initiatives will make the best use of limited state funds, and facilitate collaboration across state agencies that are involved in prisoner reentry.
On May 16, 2006, Illinois House Joint Resolution 80 was passed to fund a long-term study to determine whether life without parole and sentences over 30 years contribute to public safety and are an acceptable use of state funds. The bill establishes the Long-Term Prisoners Study Committee, which will hold a public hearing to present a report of its findings and recommendations before June 1, 2007.
Other legislation relating to reentry studies and task forces that passed this year:
Wash ington Senate Bill 6308
Virginia Senate Joint Resolution 126
Kansas House Bill 2555
Connecticut House Bill 5781
> Back to top
Sex Offenders
No category of offenders has received more recent media attention than sex offenders. Such highly publicized crimes as the rape and murder of Jessica Lunsford in Florida have led legislatures across the country to revisit penalties and sex offender registration laws, and to restrict where sex offenders can live in an attempt to address increasing concerns about public safety.
In Louisiana, Act No. 663 was signed into law on June 29, 2006. This law requires a restriction code to appear on the driver's license of any convicted sex offender. It also requires every sex offender to notify the local police department and neighborhood residents of his or her name, address, crime for which he or she was convicted, and his or her place of employment (among other things) within 21 days of establishing residency in Louisiana, or within 21 days after release from prison. In addition, the law provides, through the Sex Offender Registry Technology Fund, for the development of an electronic alert system that will notify local law enforcement officials when a sex offender is released from prison or jail.
Other legislation relating to sex offenders that passed this year:
Ar izona Senate Bill 1328
Indiana House Bill 1155
New Mexico Senate Bill 669
Georgia House Bill 1059
For more on reentry legislation, click here a>.