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Breaking Federal Prison News: President Bush Signed Into Law ‘The
Second Chance Act of 2007’
(PRWEB) April 10, 2008 — Federal Prison Consultants, LLC summarizes below “The Second Chance Act of 2007” into potential release benefits for federal prison and some state prison inmates and is available as
advocates for federal and state prisoners, their families and
criminal defense attorneys. With over 200 years of combined
experience on staff, Federal Prison Consultants can assist with
eligibility and advocate for the maximum release benefits available.
The Second Chance Act primarily authorizes federal funding for state
and federal reentry programs. It also directs — but does not
require — the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to consider giving federal
prisoners longer stays in halfway houses, and authorizes funds for a
very limited test program for elderly prisoners. The “second chance”
the bill refers to applies almost exclusively to people leaving
prison — it does not give shorter sentences to people already in
prison.
With few exceptions, the bill is designed to provide programs that
help people leaving prison reenter their communities, so that they do not reoffend.
Only three parts of the bill may be able to affect how long a person
stays in prison. These three parts only affect people in federal
prison:
1. The first lengthens the outer limits of the time an individual is
guaranteed consideration for prerelease community corrections
(halfway house) from six months to 12 months. However, there is no
new requirement that the BOP give every person the full 12 months in a halfway house at the end of their sentence.
2. The second creates a limited pilot program called the Elderly and
Family Reunification for Certain Nonviolent Offenders provision. This
provision will likely only take place in one facility and is unlikely
to provide relief for many individuals.
3. Finally, the bill increases slightly the percentage of a federal
sentence that can be served in home confinement. There is no
requirement that the BOP give prisoners any time in home confinement.
The Second Chance Act authorizes funding for:
1. Existing demonstration and long-term adult and juvenile offender
state and local reentry programs (does not apply to federal prisons),
including:
? Existing adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry
demonstration projects (includes educational, literacy, vocational
and job placement services; a full continuum of substance abuse
treatment services; and provision of comprehensive services upon
reentry including mental and physical health care).
? New grants to states, tribal and local reentry courts for
demonstration programs that would monitor juvenile and adult
offenders reentering the community and provide them with coordinated and comprehensive reentry services and programs, including: coordinated and comprehensive reentry services and programs including drug and alcohol testing and health services and assessment; community impact panels and victim impact classes; and community services to juvenile and adult offenders, including housing assistance, education, job training and conflict intervention skills.
? Development, implementation or expansion of state, tribal or local
demonstration drug treatment programs that are alternatives to
imprisonment.
? Development, implementation or expansion of comprehensive and clinically appropriate family based demonstration substance abuse treatment programs as alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent parent drug offenders or prison-based family treatment programs for incarcerated parents of minor children.
? Improvements in education at state, tribal, and local prisons,
jails and juvenile facilities.
? Technology career training demonstration programs.
2. Enhanced drug treatment and mentoring programs, including
? Continued and improved drug treatment programs at state, tribal and local prisons, jails or juvenile facilities. (Does not apply to
federal prisons.)
? Nonprofit and tribal initiatives to provide mentoring and other
transitional services. (Does not apply to federal prisons.)
? Nonprofit initiatives to provide mentoring, job training, and job
placement services to eligible offenders (over the age of 18 and
never convicted of a violent or a sex-related offense). (Applies to
both federal and state prisons.)
3. Improved federal offender reentry (applies to federal prisons
only), including:
? Demonstration programs that establish a federal prisoner reentry
strategy.
? Assistance to prisoners with obtaining identification prior to
release.
? A pilot program called “Elderly and Family Reunification for
Certain Nonviolent Offenders.” This program will probably take place
at a single facility designated by the Attorney General and will
allow eligible elderly offenders who have served ten years or more of
a long sentence to serve out the remainder of their terms in home
detention.
? A demonstration program to supervise high risk individuals in
community corrections facilities and home confinement.
4. Reentry research
? Funding for research on juvenile and adult offender reentry, post-
incarceration supervision violations and revocations, the needs of
incarcerated parents, and the effectiveness of depot naltrexone for
heroin addiction.
5. Community corrections (applies to federal prisons only)
? The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) shall ensure that a prisoner serving a
term of imprisonments spends a portion of the final months of that
term (not to exceed 12 months) in a community correctional facility
or appropriate conditions that will afford the prisoner a reasonable
opportunity to adjust and prepare for the reentry of that prisoner to
the community. The BOP may place a prisoner in home confinement for the shorter of 10 percent of the term of imprisonment or six months.
For more information or to get help with these new programs, please
contact Ed Bales, Managing Director of Federal Prison Consultants,
LLC at Toll-Free 1-888-5-PRISON. Federal Prison Consultants, LLC is a
full-service Federal & State Advocacy Firm with over 200 years of
combined experience on staff.
http://www.FederalP risonConsultants .
Contact Information
Edward S. Bales – Managing Director
Federal Prison Consultants, LLC
http://www.FederalP risonConsultants .com
1-302-437-6926