Danny Davis: “This evening we have chosen to take a look at something called Second Chance, and that is we've chosen to take a look at…”

“This evening we have chosen to take a look at something called Second Chance, and that is we've chosen to take a look at how do we help successfully reintegrate the more than 650,000 people who come home from jail and prison each year back into a normal setting so that they can become contributing members of society, so that they can become assets and not liabilities, and so that they can be the productive citizens that they have the potential of being. We all know that it's common knowledge that people being released from prison and jail have complex needs, and that's why Second Chance is so important. Three out of four have a substance abuse problem, but only 10 percent in State prisons and 3 percent in local jails receive formal treatment prior to release. Fifty-five percent have children under 18, and about 2 percent of all United States minors either have or have had a parent in prison. Two out of three lack a high school diploma.”