Policy Resolution LJE-19-06

WHEREAS, every person is endowed with human dignity and value;

WHEREAS, redemption and second chances are American values;

WHEREAS, approximately 65 million Americans have a criminal record;

WHEREAS, people with a history in the criminal justice system face significant barriers including an inability to secure housing, transportation, education, meaningful employment and must pay for the significant debt that arises as a result of their conviction and incarceration;

WHEREAS, these barriers can contribute to recidivism, which increases victimization, increases taxes and decreases public safety;

WHEREAS, formerly incarcerated individuals should have access to resources meeting their basic needs, housing, transportation, clothing, mental health, substance abuse counseling, family reunification programs, education, job training, and life-coach mentorship all conducted by smart reentry service providers;

WHEREAS, public safety is improved when the formerly incarcerated have ample opportunity for employment that provides for a sustainable quality of life; and

WHEREAS, communities are restored, poverty and homelessness are reduced when individuals are emotionally and financially stabilized and reunited with their families.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that legislators and municipalities should seek to fund and otherwise support comprehensive reentry service providers that promote public safety, reduce recidivism rates, restore families and offer the formerly incarcerated second chances;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) support the judicial order of certificates of release to immunize employers or landlords that provide employment or housing opportunity for those re-entering from incarceration; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, State Attorneys General, and other federal, state, and local government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR(S): Representative Billy Mitchell (GA) and Senator Floyd McKissick (NC)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Law, Justice, and Ethics Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Chair: Representative Reginald Meeks (KY)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is November 30, 2018
• Ratification is certified by: Representative Gregory W. Porter (IN), President