Send To Printer | Close Window Send To Printer | Close Window By Joseph Williams, Christian Association for Prison Aftercare
It is interesting to me that I still have people raise the question of the legitimacy of the prisoner reentry movement. There are apparently some organizations and individuals who still believe that prisoner reentry is a fad. Many believe that it was simply a pet program of the previous administration. After all, former, President Bush mentioned prisoner reentry on several occasions during important speeches, including the State of the Union Address in 2004. Therefore, many people concluded that programs for men and women returning to the community, from prison, would not be a high priority for the current administration. After all, that’s the way that Washington works, right?
On April 9, 2008, when President George W. Bush signed the Second Chance Act into law proposing approximately 300 million dollars in annual funding; many of us who are involved in this ministry, wondered whether funding for the Second Chance act would actually be appropriated by the current administration. The question even loomed larger in the face of the current challenges to the U.S. economy. President Obama could easily argue that the country has other issues that are more pressing than prisoner reentry. If significant funding was not forthcoming from Washington, many would conclude that prisoner reentry was merely a fad, a pet program of a former president. This shift in federal funding would also likely affect the funding priorities of many private foundations who take their cues from Washington.
Thankfully, the Second Chance Act was a bi-partisan effort that was not initiated by the White House. The Second Chance Act, although ugh endorsed by the White House, was developed primarily by Representative Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, and Representative Danny Davis, Democrat of Illinois. The law proposes to invest millions in drug treatment and mentoring programs, aimed at helping newly released felons rejoin their communities. I was blessed to be at the signing of the Second Chance Act along with a host of legislators, both state and federal government and from both major political parties, including then, Senator Joe Biden. I had hoped that because it was endorsed so strongly by both Democratic and Republican law makers, that funds proposed for the act would actually be appropriated by the current administration. In fact, I wondered what type of non-Second Chance Act funding would come forth from our new leaders.
All of us who entertained these kinds of questions were relieved to learn that indeed, significant funding for prisoner reentry will soon flow from Washington, DC. As reported by the Council of State Government, on February 25, 2009, “The House of Representatives passed an omnibus appropriations bill for the remainder of fiscal year 2009, which includes funding for the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services.”
The omnibus bill passed by the House includes funding for the following criminal justice priorities:
Also, the Council of State Governments reported that in the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2010 released on February 26, 2009, President Obama requested $109 million for prisoner reentry programs, including $75 million for Second Chance Act programs. A sponsor of the Second Chance Act, Rep. Danny Davis, (IL) expressed his appreciation to the President for honoring the work of all of those who worked diligently to pass the Second Chance Act. In an interview he stated, “I am indeed pleased that the President's proposed budget includes $75 million for the Second Chance Act and I applaud him. This investment of $75 million will bring tremendous returns. However, throughout the budget and appropriation processes, I shall be advocating and working for more."
This is good news for those of us engaged in ministry to men and women in transition from prison and their families whether or not you intend to accept government funds. When former President Bush began talking about the issue of prisoner reentry, it began a dialog among foundation executives. Many foundations, in the past, have not considered funding prison-related programs. They have become willing to consider investing their dollars into this kind of work because of Bush’s outspokenness about the issue. The federal government’s continued support for prisoner reentry programs will keep this dialog alive among private funders. We pray that many will modify their giving guidelines to include prisoner reentry programs.
For those who are still skeptical, I offer this as proof that prisoner reentry is not a fad but a legitimate movement. Of course, those of us who are Christians do not really need this kind of proof. We have been divinely called to this work and regardless to what the federal government does or does not do, we are committed to serve our brothers and sisters who have experienced incarceration. I, for one, sensed many years ago that the Church’s reaching out to people released from prison is a genuine movement of the Holy Spirit. To me, this is perhaps the most significant work that the church can engage in. This work has far reaching potential to greater society. So, let us keep our hands to the plow as we labor together for Him.
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