NEWS FROM CONGRESS: CREATION OF SECOND CHANCE TASK FORCE DRAWS PRAISE FROM NATION’S LARGEST BIPARTISAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE GROUP

Justice Action Network, Looks Forward to Bipartisan Partnership to Boost Public Safety and Unleash Opportunity for Formerly Incarcerated 

(Washington, DC) – Today, Representatives David Trone (D-MD), John Rutherford (R-FL), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) hosted a bipartisan group of house colleagues to launch the Second Chance Task Force with a briefing by Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Colette Peters. 

The task force, which was created to promote policies that will improve access to employment and other opportunities for people who are reentering the community after spending time in prison or the justice system, met for the first time today to learn more about challenges the BOP has faced in maintaining successful reentry programming for the roughly 50,000 people who are released from federal prisons each year.

The Justice Action Network (JAN), the largest bipartisan criminal justice reform organization in the country, commended members of both parties for their leadership in creating the first-ever congressional group focused on reentry, and reiterated its commitment to working with leaders on both sides of the aisle to put in place policies that give formerly incarcerated and justice system-involved people access to jobs and expand worker pools for employers who are interested in hiring returning citizens. 

"I want to thank Congressmembers Trone, Rutherford, Armstrong, and Blunt Rochester for their leadership and keen foresight in creating the Second Chance Task Force," said Jenna Bottler, Executive Director of the Justice Action Network. “We have long known that jobs, education, and access to housing reduce recidivism and help people who have been behind bars or in the system keep their life on track. As our nation experiences persistent worker shortages, second chances have become an economic imperative as well as a moral one. We look forward to continuing our work with both parties in congress. There is no better time to break down barriers to life beyond the justice system for the thousands of people who reenter each year. ”