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House Judiciary Committee Tackles Issues Facing Newly Released CriminalsThe House Judiciary Committee is seeking new approaches to facilitate the reentry of released criminals into society by ending the funding of inefficient programs and diminishing the collateral consequences of conviction that contribute to recidivism. “Over 95% of currently incarcerated individuals will be released into communities and about 2/3 will recidivate within 3 years,” said Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Ranking Republican Member of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. At a hearing, the barriers facing ex-offenders were discussed, in addition to possible solutions to the issue. Federal law requires background checks, and mandates disqualification of applicants based on convictions in almost every field of occupation. However, a recent study done by the Department of Justice revealed that 50% of criminal records are inaccurate. Ex-offenders are also denied access to education education and housing because of criminal records. Expungement of criminal records, excluding sex offenders, was a widely discussed solution. House Judiciary Committee member Steve Cohen (D-Tenn) proposed the “Fresh Start Act.” If passed, it would expunge the record of individuals convicted of non-violent crimes after a period of 7 years in an attempt to end collateral consequences. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) reiterated the importance of criminal rehabilitation and reentry into society, and announced his plans for a full committee hearing in Detroit during the recess in August. |
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