Senator Barack Obama Hails Passage of the Second Chance Act

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March 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama released the following statement on the Senate's passage of the Second Chance Act of 2007 (S.1060). Obama is a cosponsor of this legislation.

"Everyday, far too many Americans are lost in the criminal justice system and end up in prison. A recent report found that more than 1.6 million Americans -- 1 in every 100 -- are behind bars. With a lack of job training and support programs, many fail to ever be fully rehabilitated or to find meaningful employment, and go on to commit more crimes. This is wrong, and we must do more to help them achieve a second chance and break this cycle.

"I believe we must create a pathway for people coming out of jail to get the jobs, skills, and education they need to leave a life of crime. That means supporting effective training and mentoring programs to help people transition into jobs. That means reevaluating the laws against hiring people with a criminal record so that we don't foreclose effective ways to bring people out of poverty and deter them from committing new crimes. That also means giving former prisoners parenting skills so they can give their children the sense of hope and opportunity that so many of them were denied.

"I am proud the Senate passed the Second Chance Act, which supports faith and community based organizations working with state and local authorities to give former prisoners new opportunities to become productive and law-abiding members of society."

Source: Senator Barack Obama