Second Chance Act of 2007

SECOND CHANCE ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - November 13, 2007)

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Mr. CLYBURN. I thank the chairman for yielding me the time.

I want to thank Chairman Scott and especially Congressman DANNY DAVIS for not giving up on this legislation.

We have been here for approximately 6 years now, Mr. Speaker; and if we are ever going to make progress in the crime that is crippling our communities, we cannot give up on any human being, because it is not enough to say we are just going to lock up every offender and throw away the key. Such narrow-mindedness does nothing to prevent our vulnerable youth from being indefinitely trapped in our Nation's correctional system.

In order to stop crime, Mr. Speaker, we have to eliminate the criminal mindset. And we help to eliminate this mindset by offering alternatives for the offenders in their lives of crime. We do this by enrolling them in programs that provide them with an education, help them find employment, and remind them constantly of the consequences of antisocial behavior.

I am happy to say that the Second Chance Act does all of this. It reaches out to offenders by increasing their access to vocational education. It also goes a long ways in helping many of our juvenile offenders understand the dangers associated with crime and providing them with counseling services.

Many of the individuals currently incarcerated in this country are young, nonviolent, first-time offenders who made stupid mistakes. These kids should not be denied the opportunity to reposition their paths in a more stable and law-abiding direction.

This bill makes tremendous strides in protecting the public and rehabilitating offenders, and I urge my colleagues to vote for its passage.

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