House Concurrent Resolution 50

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DESIGNATING APRIL 2020, AS "SECOND CHANCE MONTH."

WHEREAS, every person is endowed with human dignity and value; and

WHEREAS, redemption and second chances are American values; and

WHEREAS, an estimated 70 million American citizens have a criminal record; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice reports that in 2017, over 600,000 individuals returned to their communities after being released from state and federal prisons; and

WHEREAS, these individuals who have paid their debt to society after committing a crime face significant barriers, also known as collateral consequences, to reintegrating into society; and

WHEREAS, the Council of State Governments reports that the number of legal collateral consequences of a criminal conviction exceeds 44,000; and

WHEREAS, youth face more than one thousand collateral consequences affecting their high school and higher education; and

WHEREAS, many of these consequences are mandatory, without taking into account the seriousness of the offense, the time passed since the offense, the individual's efforts to make amends and earn back the public's trust, or whether the consequence has a proven public safety benefit; and

WHEREAS, gaining meaningful employment is one of the most significant predictors of successful reentry to society and tremendously reduces the likeliness of future criminal activity; and

WHEREAS, ninety percent of those who have previously been incarcerated struggle to find employment because of both social and legal barriers which are often not directly related to the offense committed or any proven public safety issues; and

WHEREAS, every profession has laws which prohibit individuals with a criminal record from working in certain industries, such as cosmetology, operation of arcade games, automotive parts recycling, camping equipment sales, boiler inspection, and many others; and

WHEREAS, over sixty percent of employers report they would not be willing to hire someone with any criminal record and many employers utilize a blanket no-hire policy for individuals with a criminal record; and

WHEREAS, access to education has also been shown to be a significant predictor of successful reentry; and

WHEREAS, those with a criminal record have attained lower levels and quality of education than the general population and studies have shown that they also have significant difficulty in acquiring admission to and funding for educational programs; and

WHEREAS, individuals convicted of certain crimes are barred from receiving the financial aid necessary to acquire additional skills and knowledge; and

WHEREAS, many individuals who have been released from incarceration, regardless of their efforts to live positively, are denied admission to institutions of higher education because of their criminal record despite a lack of empirical evidence showing a campus safety risk; and

WHEREAS, a person with a criminal history also faces significant barriers in securing a place to live; and

WHEREAS, studies show that fifty-six percent of landlords are unwilling to rent to an individual with a criminal record, especially those with a felony charge, and thirty-two percent are unwilling to rent to an individual with a previous misdemeanor conviction; and

WHEREAS, individuals with a criminal history are also barred from seeking access to public housing or receiving public housing assistance; and

WHEREAS, this inability to access housing has been found to increase the number of individuals who return to prison; and

WHEREAS, designating April 2020, as "Second Chance Month"

honors the work of communities, governmental institutions, nonprofits, congregations, employers, and individuals to remove unnecessary legal and societal barriers that prevent individuals with a criminal record from becoming productive members of society; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby designate the month of April, 2020, as "Second Chance Month."

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to supporters of "Second Chance Month" and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.