As a board member of The Council for State Governments Justice Center, we have been focusing on what successful re-entry looks like and how we can help those who have wronged in the past be successful....Here is a news release on our latest efforts.
New Web Tool Provides Look at Often-Overlooked
Legal, Regulatory Restrictions Against People who have Criminal Convictions
NEW YORK, NY—Oct.
31, 2018—Collateral consequences are penalties
buried in various laws that can limit or prohibit people convicted of crimes
from finding work, accessing housing, and otherwise impact their rights and
benefits that can help them to rebuild their lives.
The new National
Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction resource, launched today by the National Reentry Resource
Center and The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, compiles thousands
of state and federal statutes into a searchable database, making it easier to
identify these obscure regulations that can be triggered by a particular
conviction.
“When a person leaves
prison or jail, it is critical that they be given an opportunity to succeed,”
said Justice Michael Boggs of the Georgia Supreme Court. “Public safety is
improved by ensuring successful reentry. However, there are more than 40,000
provisions in state and federal law that stand in their way right out of the
gate. The first step to making meaningful change is understanding these
barriers. This resource does just that, and it provides the information in a
way that’s easy to navigate.”
Collateral consequences create a range
of impediments to a person’s successful reentry into society, which includes restricting
access to education and housing, depending on the state and the conviction.
More than half of these consequences of conviction also affect employability,
either directly or by creating barriers to obtaining occupational licenses for
certain jobs. About half of these employment-related consequences—which most
prominently impact industries like healthcare, child and elder care, education,
finance and transportation—are mandatory and must be imposed where a person has
been convicted of a disqualifying offense.
“It’s amazing how, in the midst of
helping people reenter society, we’re often flying blind when it comes to
understanding some of things they’re up against. A lot of the time, the people
who are responsible for the enforcement of these regulatory sanctions aren’t
even aware of them,” said John Wetzel, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department
of Corrections. “This database launched today gives us a clear view into these
obstacles in each state, which will help us navigate the reentry process and,
in some cases, could lead to policy change.”
The
website, which will be maintained by the CSG Justice Center and is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of
Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, offers a database that is searchable by
relevant components of the consequence including offense categories, fields of
employment, and jurisdiction. The website also offers additional news and
resources related to reentry.
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About the CSG Justice Center
The Council of
State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that
serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches
of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and evidence-based,
consensus-driven strategies to increase public safety and strengthen
communities. For more information about the CSG Justice Center, visit www.csgjusticecenter.org.
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