Renew This Federal Program That Boosts Ex-Inmates, NJ Senator Urges

NEWARK, NJ — More than 95 percent of people in prison will eventually be released. And a long-running federal program that gives them a hand up as they rejoin society is more important than ever, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators say.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey is one of several Democratic and Republican lawmakers who are pushing the government to renew the Second Chance Act. The legislation funds federal grants for government agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide reentry services and programs.

Over the years, Second Chance initiatives have provided employment training and assistance, substance use treatment, education, housing, family programming, mentoring, victims support and more. The funding has also been used to support general criminal justice system improvements.

Former president George Bush, a Republican, signed the bill into law in 2008. It was reauthorized as part of the First Step Act in 2018 under another GOP icon: Donald Trump.

• See Related: When Trump And Cory Booker Agreed: 5 Years Of ‘First Steps’ (VIDEO)

Now, the program faces renewal again via the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2024, which passed a vote in the Senate last month. A companion bill awaits a potential vote in the U.S. House of Representatives – and then a signature by the president.

Booker, a Newark resident, is among the lawmakers cheering it on.

“Since 2008, programs funded by the Second Chance Act have provided invaluable resources and support to state and local governments as they prepare incarcerated individuals to reenter society,” Booker said.

“We must continue to fund these vital programs to reduce recidivism and help those who have paid their debt to society embark on the next chapter of their lives,” he continued. “I urge Democrats and Republicans in the House to come together to pass the Second Chance Reauthorization Act and help our country improve public safety by ending the cycle of disenfranchisement and reincarceration.”

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia – who introduced the bill earlier this year – agreed that it will help give people the tools they need to turn their lives around.

“The vast majority of people incarcerated today will come home to our communities at some point,” Capito said.

More than 70 million Americans have a criminal record and, of those sentenced to prison, over 650,000 leave state and federal prisons on an annual basis, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

• See Related: NJ Governor Pardons Dozens Of Ex-Inmates: ‘Redemption Is Achievable’

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