On February 15, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security approved, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 1704) to reauthorize and expand prisoner reentry programs. The panel held a hearing on certain provisions included in the bill last week (see The Source, 2/10/06).
Sponsored by Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT), the Second Chance Act would reauthorize $40 million in FY2006 and FY2007 for the prisoner reentry initiative. The comprehensive program provides grants for housing, substance abuse and mental health services, job training, and education for newly released prisoners. In addition, grants can be used to provide support for children of incarcerated parents and “to help prisoners with a history or identified risk of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.”
H.R. 1704 would expand services for family-based substance abuse treatment during incarceration and after a prisoner has been released. The bill notes that these programs “have proven results for serving the special population of female offenders and substance abusers with children. An evaluation by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of family-based treatment for substance abusing mothers and children found that at six months post treatment, 60 percent of mothers remain alcohol and drug free, and drug-related offenses declined from 28 to 7 percent. Additionally, a 2003 evaluation of residential family-based treatment programs revealed that 60 percent of mothers remained clean and sober six months after treatment, criminal arrests declined by 43 percent, and 88 percent of the children treated in the program with their mothers remain stabilized.”
The measure would authorize a number of research studies on prisoner reentry programs. Specifically, the Bureau of Justice Statistics would conduct an analysis of special populations, including female offenders, prisoners with mental illness or substance abuse disorders, juvenile offenders, and prisoners with limited English proficiency; and the National Institute of Justice would conduct a study identifying the characteristics of children who have an incarcerated parent and the likelihood of these minors becoming involved in the criminal justice system.
Finally, the bill would incorporate a provision included in Carlie’s Law (H.R. 3107). Sponsored by Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL), the measure would require the automatic revocation of probation or supervised release when a federal felon commits a violent crime against a minor child under the age of 16.
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has introduced a similar bill (S. 1934) in the Senate.
