Congressional Black Caucus

Floor Speech

CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 18, 2007, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for half the time until midnight as the designee of the majority leader.

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois?

There was no objection.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for the opportunity to address the House.

I want to, first of all, thank Speaker Pelosi for granting to the Congressional Black Caucus this time on this evening.

I also want to thank our chairperson, Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick, for deciding that each Monday members of the Congressional Black Caucus will come to the floor with a message to address issues, issues that affect not only African Americans, but issues which are pertinent to the quality of life in these United States of America.

This evening we have chosen to take a look at something called Second Chance, and that is we've chosen to take a look at how do we help successfully reintegrate the more than 650,000 people who come home from jail and prison each year back into a normal setting so that they can become contributing members of society, so that they can become assets and not liabilities, and so that they can be the productive citizens that they have the potential of being.

We all know that it's common knowledge that people being released from prison and jail have complex needs, and that's why Second Chance is so important. Three out of four have a substance abuse problem, but only 10 percent in State prisons and 3 percent in local jails receive formal treatment prior to release. Fifty-five percent have children under 18, and about 2 percent of all United States minors either have or have had a parent in prison. Two out of three lack a high school diploma. And 40 percent have neither a diploma nor GED, and only about one out of three gets vocational training at any point during their incarceration.

Nearly half of those in jail earned less than $600 a month just prior to incarceration, and more than one of three jail inmates reported some physical or mental disability. About one out of five prisoners is released from prison without any real supervision or without any kind of help.

And so when we look at this enormous problem, it is essential that we provide all of the assistance. We know, for example, that those individuals who come out of prison and receive no help, within a 3-year period of time, 67 percent of them would have done what we call reoffend. About 53 percent of them will be back reincarcerated after having used up thousands of dollars of public resources just to get them back in jail or back in prison, not to mention the enormous cost of maintaining them during their stay. That is why we believe that it makes far more sense to help these individuals return.

You know, it is not easy to get people to come over on a Monday night at 10:30. But one Member of the Congressional Black Caucus has come this evening. Not only has he come this evening, but he comes often. He comes often in terms of the kind of representation that he has provided in this House during his entire tenure, but also the kind of representation that he has provided throughout America trying to make sure that people experience equality, equal opportunity, a sense of justice, and a sense of hope. So I am very pleased that Representative Bobby Scott has joined me.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield to him to further discuss this issue.

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Representative Scott again for leading the charge in the Judiciary Committee to make sure that this legislation was in fact passed. It has passed out of Judiciary. Without your leadership and the leadership of Chairman Conyers and the help of individuals like Representative Waters and Representative Watts and Representative Sensenbrenner and a number of others, it never would have happened. So we definitely appreciate that.

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. And definitely Representative Chris Cohen was very helpful and was a chief Republican sponsor of the legislation.

Let me also indicate that I agree with what you just said about America having more of its people in prison than any other developed nation in the world. But the vast majority, 95 percent of those individuals, will eventually return to the community. That is, they will return to the communities from whence they came. That means that every year about 650,000 are released. These men and women deserve a second chance. Their families, spouses and children deserve a second chance, and their communities indeed deserve a second chance. "Second chance'' really means an opportunity to turn a life around, a chance to break the grip of a drug habit, a chance to support a family, to pay taxes, to be self-sufficient.

Today, few of those who return to their communities are prepared for their release or receive any supportive services. When the prison door swings open, an ex-offender may receive a bus ticket and spending money for a day or two. Many leave prison to return to the same environment which saw them offend in the first place. But, as they return, they often face additional barriers to reentry: Serious physical and mental health problems, as you just indicated; no place to stay; a lack of education or qualifications to hold a job.

As a result, two out of three will be re-arrested for new crimes within the first 3 years of their release. Youthful offenders are even more likely to re-offend. One-third of all correction departments provide no services to released offenders, and most departments do not offer a transitional program, placing a heavy burden on families and communities.

Considering the cost of incarceration, as much as $40,000 per year, and all the social and economic costs of crime to the community, it is just plain common sense to act to help these individuals reenter, become useful and reduce the level of recidivism.

When we think about it, the Second Chance Act will provide transitional assistance to assist ex-offenders in coping with the challenges of reentry. It will help reunite families and protect communities. It will enhance public safety and save taxpayer dollars. It is the humane thing to do, it is the responsible thing to do, and it is indeed the right thing to do.

The bill has the support of more than 200 criminal justice, service provider, faith-based, housing, governmental, disability and civil rights organizations, and President Bush has signaled his support for the legislation as well.

No single piece of legislation is going to solve the reentry crisis we are facing, but the Second Chance Act is a good start. I believe that with its passage, then we put the spotlight not just on the problem, but on the opportunities for solutions.

I am convinced, however, that any serious effort to facilitate the reentry of men and women with criminal records to civil society must be prepared to do two things: First we must be prepared to help with drug treatment on demand for everyone who requests it; secondly, we must find work for ex-offenders. Programs won't supply jobs. And after ex-offenders have undergone rehabilitation and receive appropriate training, employers will have to open their hearts and put these men and women back into the workforce, or they will surely and certainly end up back in prison.

I hope that everyone watching does in fact agree. I hope that everyone listening does in fact agree. And I certainly hope that all of the Members of this body and all of the Members in the other body will agree. Because when we help a person successfully reenter, we are not really just helping them, we are helping ourselves. I would much rather help an individual get rid of a drug problem than have to watch behind me when I walk down the street, or have to wonder whether or not I am going to be under attack because some person is in need of a $15 fix.

Madam Speaker, this legislation is legislation for America.

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. I thank the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, I hope the next time we come to the floor to talk about ex-offender reentry, we will be congratulating ourselves, we will be congratulating the House, the Senate and the President for having put into play a meaningful piece of legislation that is going to be good for America.

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