By Jonathan Lewis
WASHINGTON, DC – The White House Briefing Room released a statement last Friday addressing dozens of executive actions the Biden-Harris administration took during “Second Chance Month” to help people in the criminal justice system lead successful lives after incarceration.
The center of Biden’s Alternatives, Rehabilitation and Reentry Strategic Plan is his commutation of 31 sentences of Americans convicted of non-violent drug offenses, said the White House.
According to the WH, “These individuals, who have been successfully serving sentences on home confinement, have demonstrated a commitment to rehabilitation, including by securing employment and advancing their education. Many would have received a lower sentence if they were charged with the same offense today, due to changes in the law, including the bipartisan First Step Act.”
Many of the 31 commuted individuals were originally sentenced to 10 years in prison to life, and they will finish the rest of their prison terms through home confinement with some subject to supervised release, said the WH.
The WH statement, citing studies showing that “increased access to economic support is associated with reduced recidivism for people returning home from jail and prison,” also explains how the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services is helping incarcerated Americans get access to SNAP nutrition benefits.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is required quarterly as of 2023 to reach out to incarcerated veterans to make them aware of their benefits, including a newly launched Legal Services for Veterans Grant Program, which helps fund Veteran’s civil and criminal legal services.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is taking action to give formerly incarcerated persons an equal opportunity to obtain housing, noted the WH, adding HUD is working to “ensure that applicants with criminal history records are fairly screened at admission, using holistic individualized assessments, to avoid unnecessary denials, and to enhance public safety for all.”
