Second Chance Act Reintroduced in House of Representatives

Second Chance Act Reintroduced in House of Representatives

 Federal prisoner reentry legislation, the Second Chance Act of 2007, was reintroduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Danny Davis (D - IL) and Chris Cannon (R-UT). The bill, H.R. 1593, which has broad bipartisan support, will help states and communities better address challenges associated with reentry by authorizing grants to support state and local reentry initiatives focused on employment, housing, substance abuse and mental health treatment, and children and family services.

The same day the House Judiciary Committee Crime Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill to discuss the multiple challenges related to the return of people who are incarcerated from prisons to their communities. The majority of members on the Crime Subcommittee are original cosponsors of the bill, which builds on the work from the last two sessions of Congress, and plan to move the bill quickly through the House this year.

Cosponsors include Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D - MI), Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R - TX), former Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R - WI), current Chair of the Crime Subcommittee Bobby Scott (D - VA) and Ranking Member Randy Forbes (R - VA), former Crime Subcommittee Chair Howard Coble (D - NC), and Judiciary Committee members Reps. Chris Cannon (D - UT), Steve Chabot (R - OH), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D - TX), Hank Johnson (D - GA), and Adam Schiff (D - CA). To view the list of original cosponsors, please click here.

"There is a growing need to address rising prison populations and high recidivism rates," said Massachusetts State Representative Mike Festa, chair of the Council of State Governments Justice Center Charter Group. "The reintroduction of the Second Chance Act sends a strong message of federal support for reentry initiatives that have already begun to develop at the state and local levels."

The hearing focused on the importance of community-based reentry services and substance abuse treatment for people returning from prisons and jails. Witnesses included Stefan LoBuglio, Chief, Pre-Rele ase and Reentry Services for Montgomery County, MD; Dr. Roger Peters, Chairman and Professor, Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, University of South Florida; George McDonald, President of the Doe Fund, Inc.; Steve Lufburrow, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries; and Jack Cowley, National Director, Alpha for Prisons and Reentry. To view the full witness list and submitted testimony, click here.

Witnesses all provided an overview of the impact of reentry programs in their states, particularly those targeted at individuals with mental illnesses or co-occuring disorders, and emphasized the importance of modest federal support through legislation like the Second Chance Act in encouraging states to implement or expand such work.

"Wardens, parole officers, Sheriffs, line officers, community groups – we are ready to work on reentry. All we need is assistance and good models," said LoBuglio.

Chairman Scott commended witnesses for working to improve prisoner reentry processes in their states and requested that other members of Congress pay attention to this issue moving forward.

"This is an important issue that affects public safety, state spending, and the well-being of the individuals who cycle in and out of our corrections systems," said Rep. Scott. "The Second Chance Act offers a common sense, smart on crime approach to giving states the tools to slow and, we hope, one day end this cycle."

For background information on the Second Chance Act, click here or email scainfo@csg.org.

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Announcements

 GAINS Center Releases New Resource on Information Sharing Between Mental Health and Criminal Justice Systems

The National GAINS Center released a new resource to help criminal justice agencies and health services providers better understand the standards for protection and disclosure of health information established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The report, "Dispelling the Myths about Information Sharing Between the Mental Health and Criminal Justice Systems (pdf)," offers a concise explanation for why the HIPAA Privacy Rule do not create significant barriers to informationsharing between criminal justice and health services systems.

Transmission of health and mental health information between corrections agencies and community-based mental health service providers is essential for coordinating continuity of care as a person moves from incarceration to the community. Unfortunately, myths about HIPAA's Privacy Rule often impede efforts to improve cross-system collaboration and information-sharing. This report describes the requirements for disclosure of protected health information and outlines special rules that apply to corrections facilities. In addition, the report highlights tools , such as universal consent forms, that can be used to promote informationsharing.

To read more about HIPAA's Privacy Rule from the Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council, click here (see bottom of page).

For more information on continuity of care and access to federal benefits, contact Hope Glassberg.



Funding Opportunity: Basic Center Program Grants

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families is accepting applications for its Basic Center Program. This program seeks to address runaway and homeless youth problems by providing an alternative to involving runaway and homeless youth in the law enforcement, child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice systems.

The purpose of this grant is to establish or strengthen existing or proposed community-based Basic Center Programs to provide shelter and support services that assist youth in crisis, reunite youth with their families (as appropriate), strengthen family relationships, and help youth transition to safe and appropriate alternative living arrangements.

Deadline for applications: April 23, 2007
For more information on this funding opportunity, click here.


Upcoming Events:

Stepping Stones to Recovery: A Training Curriculum for Case Managers and Other Advocates Assisting Adults who are Homeless with SSI and SSDI Applications
April 23-26, 2007
Orlando, FL
http://gainscenter.samhsa.gov/listserv/1 _9_07.htm

ABA Commission on Effective Criminal Sanctions: Overcoming Legal Barriers to Reentry
April 30 - May 1, 2007
Chicago, IL
http://www.abanet.org/cri mjust/calendar/cecsspringconference.pdf

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Recent Media Coverage of Reentry Issues

  • 3/21/07- "A Second Chance for Inmates" (PR Newswire)

    The Second Chance Act is federal legislation with bipartisan support that aims to reduce recidivism and help states and communities better address the growing population of prisoners returning to communities. It would reauthorize the Reentry Demonstration project, with an enhanced focus on jobs, housing, substance abuse treatment and mental health.

  • 3/19/07 – "Arrests without charges linger" (Baltimore Sun)

    Momentum in the General Assembly is building behind a bill to automatically wipe out arrest records that do not lead to formal charges; a measure proponents say could undo a fundamental injustice for thousands of people. Arrests without charges have been a point of contention in Baltimore for years as the Police Department has aggressively cracked down on quality-of-life violations in an effort to eliminate the conditions in which more serious crimes flourish.

  • 3/18/07 – "Condom debate targets prisons" (Chicago Tribune)

    Prisons have a rate of HIV infection nearly five times greater than the rate nationwide, yet they are among the few places in America where condoms are almost impossible to get. Those unsettling facts have spurred a growing campaign by lawmakers and public health advocates who are concerned that prisons may be a prime breeding ground for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

  • 3/1 7/07 – "Proposed parolee center" (Lake County News-Sun (IL))

    A proposal to bring a center to provide supervision and treatment for parolees in a former manufacturing building in Waukegan now goes to the City Council. The concept received a recommendation from the city's development commission on Tuesday. Behavioral Interventions has been given a green light from the city's development commission for a conditional-use permit to operate a "Spotlight" Reentry Center for Parolees.

Click here to see more collected reentry news from the Reentry Policy Council.

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Recent Published Resources on Reentry Issues

To suggest additional resources for inclusion in the RPC newsletter, please email editors@reentrypolicy.org.

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