64,000 Alabamaians are released from our carceral system annually. These individuals will face barriers to realizing dignified citizenship that includes: a lack of access to employment opportunities that pay a livable wage, food scarcity/insecurity, limited-to-non-existent housing opportunities, lack of access to mental and ongoing healthcare, and in many cases no support network. These barriers prevent these same Alabamaians from achieving self-sufficiency, creating a cycle of poverty and repeat offenses.
Families are torn apart and in many cases, a cycle of dependency upon social services to meet basic needs persists. Black, brown, and lower-income communities become increasingly unsafe and violent in the face of an individual's inability to attain the most basic necessities to sustain life. Taxpayers become burdened with the cost of maintaining law and order in the face of repeat offenders. The 2021 passage of AL SB 221 created the Study Commission on Interagency Cooperation and Collaboration on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals. This study commission assembled representatives from the House, Senate, Pardons and Paroles, Department of Corrections, Department of Mental Health, Department of Human Resources, Medicaid, Alabama Community College System, State Law Enforcement Agency, Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Prosecution Services, and a District Attorney charged with:
Developing and implementing a strategic plan to reduce recidivism, reduce victimization, assist individuals returning from prison to become productive citizens, and save taxpayer dollars by lowering the costs of incarceration
Identify, implement, and promote evidence-based programming to support successful reentry and reintegration
Promote partnerships and collaboration to effectively and cost-efficiently advance reentry and reintegration efforts and eliminate duplication of services
Develop strategies to expand access to educational programs and support programs upon reentry
Develop strategies to assure access to healthcare coverage and behavioral health services upon reentry
Identify and address unwarranted barriers to reentry
The tasking for this study commission and its current findings present a unique opportunity to examine the issue of recidivism and reentry through the lens of the taxpayer who exists in communities that will see the largest impact of the issue and causes of recidivism.
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