Second Chance Act could help thousands here

Securing employment is tough for many who lack fundamental skills or a post-secondary education. Now factor in a criminal record and the chances decrease. Whether it was a minor infraction or a felony, most ex-convicts will have trouble getting and keepin

But now that the Second Chance Act, a bill co-sponsored by Rep. Danny Davis (D-7th), was signed by President Bush last week, the likelihood of ex-felons earning a legal income looks brighter.

The bill, aimed at keeping more people out of the prison’s revolving door, will provide $165 million per year to local governments and nonprofits for programs that will help former convicts get back on their feet.

“Certainly the Second Chance Act is no kind of panacea, in relation to progress towards reducing recidivism, stemming the tremendous flow of crime and heavy incarceration, but on the other hand, it does provide promise, money and rebirth,” Davis said.

One out of 100 adults and 1 in 9 young, African American men are in the nation’s prisons and jails, Davis said, citing a study by the Pew Research Foundation. Of the 2.2 million people incarcerated in the United States, at least 800,000 of them are Black males, according to the United States Census Bureau.

The numbers are equally dismal when it comes to Illinois, he said. As of March 31, of the 33,135 adult parolees in the state, 20,423%uFFFD%uFFFD or 61.6 percent%uFFFD%uFFFDare Black. There are 2,044 juveniles on parole. Nearly 55 percent, or 1,114 of them are Black, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Davis said it will take a committed team of people in all sectors to help give ex-offenders the ray of hope they will need to get their lives back on track once they re-enter society. “There are lots of people who work in criminal justice and lots of programs trying to accept people who are trying to return.

It’s amazing what can be done when average citizens, experts and stakeholders join forces to make social change,” he said. “Second Chance is a big deal.” The bill goes into effect Oct. 8. Mayor Richard M. Daley applauded the passage of the bill, stating that additional funding resources will enhance the city’s exoffender programs.

“I strongly commend Congressman Davis for his long-standing leadership on one of the most important challenges facing cities today%uFFFDprisoner re-entry,” Daley said. “I am pleased that the President has now signed the Second Chance Act, and I urge Congress to move quickly to approve the necessary funding so that we can begin implementation of these critical programs.”

Local funding for ex-offender reentry initiatives rose from $400,000 in 2004 to $2.6 million in 2007. In Cook County, an ordinance was recently passed that will allow bidders seeking country construction work valued at a minimum of $100,000 an opportunity to have their bids reduced in the bidding process in exchange for agreeing to employ ex-felons.

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