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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/25/2024 02:09 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=10580
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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 7, 2013 10:29 AM
From: Representative W. Curtis Thomas
To: All House members
Subject: Interagency Council on Inmate Reentry (Formerly HB 2187 of the 2011-2012 Legislative Session)
 
Nationwide, more than 700,000 individuals are released from state and federal prisons annually. More than 95% will be released to the community. A large number of those incarcerated come from and return to a relatively small number of already disadvantaged neighborhoods. Two in three released prisoners will be rearrested within 3 years. Half of those released will be incarcerated for new crimes or technical violations.

No longer can the Commonwealth's responsibility for offenders end when they are released from one of our prisons. Today, we must be deeply invested in the chapter that follows incarceration -- reentry and efforts to keep ex-offenders from committing new crimes. Reentry also presents a major opportunity to improve public safety, public health, the workforce, education, family and our communities.

I plan to re-introduce legislation to establish the Pennsylvania Interagency Council on Inmate Reentry. Specifically, the council would be charged with examining the following:
  • The adverse consequences of mandatory sentencing in the state.
  • The cost of incarceration of inmates.
  • Ways to strengthen the educational and vocational skills of those incarcerated.
  • Ways to improve the process of inmate reentry to the community.
  • Ways to establish and implement effective reentry plans prior to release.

I am confident that through the establishment of the council, we greatly will assist those returning from prison and jail in becoming productive citizens. This will make our communities safer by reducing recidivism and victimization, while saving taxpayers' dollars by lowering the direct and indirect costs associated with incarceration.

Please consider joining me in co-sponsoring the legislation.

Prior Co-Sponsors:
THOMAS , McGEEHAN , PAYTON , WATERS , BRADFORD, COHEN , JOSEPHS , KIRKLAND , YOUNGBLOOD , FRANKEL , GIBBONS , CREIGHTON , JAMES and CALTAGIRONE


Introduced as HB333