WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 10 million persons will be released from city and county jails this year. In addition, more than 600,000 adults will be released from state and federal prisons this year to return to our communities. Currently one of every 75 men lived in prison or jail, and half of these inmates are incarcerated for a nonviolent offense; and

WHEREAS, persons leaving jail or prison often lack not only the most basic needs of food, shelter and clothes, but job skills, training and placement as well as transitional housing and support services (such as substance abuse and mental health treatment). Further, many former detainees or prisoners are denied employment, educational assistance, TANF benefits, subsidized housing, parental rights, medical assistance and health care, driver’s licenses, and the right to vote, to name a few. These barriers often prevent effective reintegration back into society; and

WHEREAS, an estimated 8 to 16 percent of the prison population and 10 percent of the jail population has at least one identified serious mental disorder and is in need of treatment. Further, the vast majority of inmates with mental disorders are eventually released and return to their communities without receiving treatment while incarcerated; and

WHEREAS, two-thirds (67.5%) of local detainees and state prisoners will be rearrested within three years of their release from jail or prison, and half (52%) will be reincarcerated for either a new offense or a violation of the terms of their release if they do not receive these vital supports, continuing the cycle of crime and despair; and

WHEREAS, studies prove incarceration has high impact on the family. Children of prisoners have a 70% greater chance of following their parents into prison. The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates 1.5 million children in the U.S. had a parent in a state or federal prison in 1999 – an increase of 500,000 since 1991, and over 7 million children have a parent under some form of correctional supervision. Long term generational effects of a social structure in which imprisonment is the norm have significant outcomes on families; and

WHEREAS, the social costs of reentry have profound collateral consequences, including public health risks, homelessness, unemployment and public safety concerns. More than two thirds of the incarcerated population has a high rate of infectious disease, substance abuse and/or mental health disorders. Close to 27% of prisoners expect to go to homeless shelters upon release from prison, and 16% of the local jail population is mentally ill. Recent data proves two thirds of all prisoners released return to the nation’s core cities and counties; and

WHEREAS, cities and counties across the nation are absorbing the economic cost of reentry. Without adequate support mechanisms, formerly incarcerated individuals are highly likely to reoffend, and the high recidivism rates have direct economic consequences. The average cost per day to house a federal or state inmate is $69, or over $25,000 a year. Likewise, the cost associated with housing an inmate per day in a local jail facility is $59, or over $21,000 a year. Significant portions of state and local government budgets are now invested in the criminal justice system. Costs associated with keeping people incarcerated in this country in 1999 alone neared $147 billion. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, local governments contributed the most (51%) to criminal justice – almost $75 billion in 1999. Lastly, prisons drain resources from colleges and universities, and leaders in higher education and the business community are beginning to question the societal implications of this allocation of resources; and

WHEREAS, city and county governments have received very limited federal or state assistance in providing adequate programming at the local level for non-violent mentally ill offenders who often end up inappropriately confined in city and county jails. Proper treatment, discharge planning, and continuity of medical care in the community have proven effective in helping foster successful reentry and prevent rearrest or reincarceration for these individuals; and

WHEREAS, President Bush has proposed an initiative in his FY 2006 budget to reduce recidivism and the societal costs of reincarceration by helping inmates find work when returning to their communities harnessing the resources and experience of faith and community based organizations working through three federal departments which include the Department of Labor, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Justice to provide job training and placement, transitional housing, and mentoring for prisoners returning back to society; and

WHEREAS, Representative Rob Portman (OH), Representative Danny Davis (IL), Representative Howard Coble Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (IN), Representative Steve Chabot (OH), Representative Chris Cannon (UT), and Representative Katherine Harris (FL) introduced a bipartisan bill called the Second Chance Act of 2005 on April 20, 2005. The Second Chance Act of 2005 is targeted to provide support for state and local reentry demonstration projects, encourages reentry coordination between and among different levels of government and non-governmental service providers, and calls for review of barriers faced by former prisoners. Overall, the proposal calls to increase public safety, strengthen families, prevent crime, restore victims, and reduce costs at the federal, state and local levels by reducing recidivism among individuals reentering society after imprisonment; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, through its Mayors Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has held summits to discuss the issue of reentry into the nation’s communities. These have been forums and comprehensive strategies focused on coordinating the national efforts of the city officials, community and faith leaders, local law enforcement, probation, parole and prisons to facilitate and foster safe, successful reentry through the following recommendations,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports efforts to more effectively integrate persons leaving jail or prison back into society, particularly efforts which promote job training and job placement; transitional housing fostering a continuum of care and holistic approach; mentoring for prisoners and children of prisoners; family reunification; life skills training and education; substance abuse, mental health treatment and voting rights; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports providing federal support to both state and local governments in a way that encourages and strengthens increased reentry coordination among state and local government agencies and non-governmental service providers, including faith and community-based providers, as well as providing transitional case managers to assist offenders; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports establishing appropriate processes to ensure both state and local governments are on equal footing in developing collaborative partnerships at the state and local level on reentry, including adequate representation and input of local governments; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports exploring the elimination of counter-productive barriers which impede successful and safe reentry; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports efforts to provide self-sufficiency to persons leaving jail or prison such as the Second Chance Act, and the efforts of the Mayors Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to inform, educate and train mayors, city-designated faith-based liaisons, and other public servants on how to best engage faith and community leaders, particularly focusing on efforts which target effective societal reentry and self-sufficiency for people leaving jail or prison; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors will convene and spearhead a broader effort through its Mayors Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to create a National Reentry Consortium comprised of several national public interest groups, community advocacy associations, faith and religious leaders, city governments, universities and other experts representative of the Reentry field to do the following in a broad based national manner: 1) educational and media outreach; 2) technical assistance to help localities implement Best Practice models; 3) information exchange and dissemination; and 3) advocacy and policy outreach on reentry issues.