More than one-third of people who are released from Indiana prisons end up returning within three years. Many cycle through corrections facilities repeatedly, costing both our criminal justice system and communities significant money and resources.
In an effort to lower the burden on our prison system and improve reentry outcomes for individuals and their families, I recently re-introduced the Recidivism Reduction Act, a bill designed to ensure individuals have access to support and treatment services upon release.
Under current law, some federal benefits are either suspended or terminated under incarceration and take several months to reinstate. This bill works to remove the barriers and create a smooth transition so newly released individuals can have access to their federal disability and health care benefits right away.
When individuals who rely on disability or medical benefits have to wait for their critical benefits to be reinstated, they are less equipped to transition successfully into the community and less likely to stay away from a life of crime.
As a former law enforcement officer, I’ve seen the public safety risks that exist when ex-offenders leave prison without the tools or resources they need – only to commit further crimes that return them to the criminal justice system.
Our communities cannot afford to treat the same problems over and over again. Instead, we must support creation of a process that eases re-entry by efficiently using the tools already available.
I am proud to re-introduce this bill, and I look forward to support from my colleagues as we look to save tax payers money, improve our overcrowded prison system and increase the opportunities for released inmates to become contributing members of society once again.
To learn more about this bill, and other items I am working on in Congress, visit my website at Carson.house.gov. You may also sign up for my weekly e-newsletter The Carson Courier to receive periodic updates on my activities in Indianapolis and in Washington, D.C.
