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CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE STATEMENT REGARDING THE PASSAGE OF HR 759 - THE CORRECTIONS AND RECIDIVISM REDUCTION ACT OF 2016 - OUT OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

February 11, 2016

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Judiciary and the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, released the following statement after the House Judiciary Committee passed HR 759 the Corrections and Recidivism Reduction Act of 2016 today:

“Today in the House Judiciary Committee we took a great step towards achieving our next step in Criminal Justice Reform. One of the most important aspects of reform is the treatment of prisoners while they are incarcerated is to make them better citizens when they are released from jail.

“A recidivist is a person who is released from prison and who later commits another crime, or reoffends, such as a parole violation or the commission of a new crime. It is estimated that 73% of the recidivists released from prison and jails today committed a new crime or violated parole within the first year of their release. This current rate of recidivism reflects a complete failure of the prison system to achieve intended goals of deterrence and rehabilitation.

“Included in this bipartisan legislation are the following provisions that I personally made sure were included in this important Bill:

  • Expansion of definition of “prisoners” to include all DC inmates, juveniles (and juvenile delinquents), and anyone in contract facilities.
  • Expansion of “recidivism reduction program” to allow for pilot and innovative programs, in addition to a broadening of the programming list (see above).
  • Requirement that risk assessment include an evaluation of housing assignment to ensure people with similar risks are housed together and to decrease crowding at high security facilities.
  • Inclusion of video conference as an incentive for completing programming.
  • Granting prisoners earned time credits for pre-sentencing programming.
  • Limiting the recidivist drug trafficking exclusion to those individuals who have had a meaningful opportunity to participate in the programs under this Act, i.e. even if you are a third time drug trafficker, if you haven’t had a chance to participate then you are not excluded from earning time credits.
  • Requirement that the Attorney General review the administrative processes related to “recidivism reduction partners,” i.e. reviewing the process for these groups to get into the prisons or for prisoners to participate with the groups.
  • Right to seek reconsideration of a determination that one is “more likely than not to recidivate” and thus ineligible to redeem credits.

“Recidivism is a multi-tiered problem with no easy answer. The bipartisan legislation passed in the House Judiciary Committee today is an excellent first step in the direction to helping former inmates. The bill not only rehabilitates and enhances the safety of communities but it also reflects many of the provisions that I fought for including parenting skills and re-entry plans to name a few. Numerous studies have shown prison program systems providing institutional programming have lower recidivism rates among those who are released. Prison programs such as anger management, vocational skills training, educational opportunities, and even trauma support groups are vital to ensuring inmates who are reintroduced to the general population have the life skills necessary to stay on the right path.

“Reducing the rate of recidivism of inmates returning to our communities is in the best interest of society because we will be making sure those returning home no longer pose a threat or a public safety risk.”