WASHINGTON, D.C. (WVDN) – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) applauded the unanimous passage of their Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2024 in the U.S. Senate. The legislation passed the Senate last week.
“The vast majority of people incarcerated today will come home to our communities at some point,” Senator Capito said. “The Second Chance Reauthorization Act invests in public safety by implementing evidence-based programs and services to improve reentry, reduce recidivism, and make our communities safer. I am proud to work with my colleagues on this legislation that will not only reauthorize these programs, but will also strengthen programs championed by President Trump to provide the proper tools to help individuals successfully reintegrate into life outside of prison walls.”
“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,” Senator Booker said. “I’m proud that with bipartisan support, the reauthorization of this crucial legislation has unanimously passed the Senate. 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. 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.”
“Second Chance programs offer formerly incarcerated individuals the resources to build better lives and contribute to their communities,” Senator Cornyn said. “By reauthorizing investments in these reentry initiatives, we can reduce recidivism and improve lives.”
“The Second Chance Act is a proven, time-tested law that extends invaluable support to formerly incarcerated people. This legislation will build on those successes again, as it did when we last reauthorized it as part of my landmark First Step Act. Last week, the Senate voted to reauthorize critical programs, investing in policies that curb recidivism and create opportunities for those returning to their communities. The Second Chance Reauthorization Act will help the criminal justice system live up to its ultimate mission: to rehabilitate and prepare people for successful reentry into society,” Senator Durbin, Senate Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said.
BACKGROUND:
Over 95% of incarcerated people will eventually be released, with more than 600,000 individuals returning to their communities from prison each year, and an even higher number reentering from local jails. To improve reentry services and lower recidivism rates, the bipartisan Second Chance Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush in April 2008 and reauthorized by President Donald Trump in 2018.
In addition to Senators Capito, Booker, Cornyn, and Durbin, the bill was also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
The bill now awaits passage through the U.S. House of Representatives before being signed into law by the president.
Full text of the bill text can be found here.
