President Obama on Monday will announce seven new federal actions meant to help rehabilitate and reintegrate former prisoners, including a new executive action that will delay federal government inquiries into people’s criminal backgrounds when they apply for work at the federal government.
According to the White House, the plan is aimed at helping ex-prisoners by easing their adjustment back into society through educational programs, housing assistance and job training opportunities. The plan has the potential to reach more than 600,000 individuals released from state and federal prisons annually, according to the White House website.
Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Mayor Ras Baraka will join the president during his remarks on the plan in Newark, N.J., on Monday, as well as Obama’s remarks at Rutgers University’s Center for Law and Justice.
Under the new initiative, Obama will reiterate the need for the Senate to pass the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015, which recently passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the meantime, Obama will step around Congress and instruct the Office of Personnel Management to delay criminal background checks for all federal and federally contracted jobs until lawmakers have officially “banned the box.”
The “box” in this case is the box on many job application forms asking if the candidate has a ever been convicted of a crime.
“While most agencies already have taken this step, this action will better ensure that applicants from all segments of society, including those with prior criminal histories, receive a fair opportunity to compete for federal employment,” a White House fact sheet said.
The plan also provides several different grants to cities around the country. The Department of Education will award up to $8 million in grants over the course of three years to nine communities that administer effective reentry education programs in institutional and community settings.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will receive $1.75 million to allow eligible public housing residents under the age of 25 to expunge or seal their records. Additionally, the National Bar Association will commit 4,000 hours of pro bono legal services to individuals in need of assistance.
HUD will immediately release new guidance instructing public housing authorities how to determine who can live in these government-assisted properties. The guidance will also reiterate the department’s firm position on “one-strike” policies.
HUD and the Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Department of Justice recently partnered to launch an $8.7 million program called the Pay for Success Permanent Supportive Housing Demonstration. The program is tasked with tracking the cycling of individuals between criminal justice and homeless service systems. It will also provide new housing for those reentering and only receive federal reimbursement based on its placement rate.
Elsewhere, 30 communities around the country will participate in TechHire, which provides fast-track training and job placement assistance for participants. Among the largest recipients are Memphis, New Orleans, New Haven, Conn., and Washington, D.C.
In coming weeks, the Departments of Labor and Justice will create the National Clean Slate Clearinghouse. The institution will give technical assistance to those who need help with record-cleaning, expungement and other civil services.
The actions stem from recommendations by the Federal Interagency Reentry Council, a cabinet-level working group charged with developing ideas to reduce recidivism and improve public safety.
