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Second Chance Act Signed Into Law

Washington, Apr 9 -

President Bush today signed into law the Second Chance Act of 2007 to help protect American communities by improving state and local reentry programs. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX), an original cosponsor of the Act, participated in today’s signing ceremony and issued the following statement:



“Public safety is essential to any free society. In order to protect our communities, we must ensure the laws are enforced and criminals are prosecuted. However, we also have an obligation to make sure these individuals are successfully rehabilitated.



“Approximately 650,000 inmates will be released from state prisons in the next year. In three years, over half of these individuals will be rearrested and return to prison. We need to put a break on this revolving door.



“Federal assistance is needed to help state and local governments implement programs to ease the transition for offenders and make sure they receive support so they can truly have a second chance to live a law abiding life. Specifically, the Second Chance Act provides grants to state and local governments for employment services, substance abuse treatment, housing, family programming and mentoring.



“The Second Chance Act is an important step towards ensuring the rehabilitation of criminals so they can become productive members of society.”