For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Contact: David Burch
(703) 341-5054 or dburch@voa.org
Volunteers of America Applauds President for Authorizing The Second Chance Act
Organization Collaborated with Members of Congress to Advocate Passage of Bill to Help Ex-Offenders
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Volunteers of America today applauds President Bush for signing into law
The Second Chance Act of 2007: Community Safety Through Recidivism Prevention. The bipartisan bill was passed by unanimous consent by the U.S. Senate in early March and by the U.S. House of Representatives last summer.
“Volunteers of America has dedicated itself to providing community-based correctional programs and services to more than 25,000 people nationwide. This groundbreaking legislation goes a long way in furthering our mission to help ease the burden placed on communities, families and former offenders as they return to society,” said Charles W. Gould, national president and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America. “We applaud the president and the bi-partisan group of legislators whose work on this legislation will provide offenders with a second chance at a successful life.”
The Second Chance Act represents a significant improvement on existing federally funded programs for the safe reentry of nearly 700,000 offenders who are released from state and federal prisons each year and return to local communities. The legislation authorizes $362 million to states, local governments and nonprofit organizations that operate programs that help former prisoners find job training, literacy training, substance abuse treatment, counseling and housing.
The legislation emphasizes the importance of public-private partnerships in providing the necessary services to ease transition and reduce the likelihood that released offenders will commit other crimes. In addition to Volunteers of America, the bill has the backing of more than 200 criminal justice, community service providers, faith-based, housing, governmental, disability and civil rights organizations.
Volunteers of America provides a broad range of programs for ex-offenders and their families, including residential communities and aftercare services in Indiana, an innovative halfway house and treatment center in New Jersey, the Transition and Reunification Program for female ex-offenders in Maine, and the Community Partners Reinvestment Project in Oregon that is targeted for young men prior to and after their release. In partnership with Scholastic, the Words Travel literacy initiative for incarcerated parents allows offenders to maintain bonds with their children by providing time to read together. The Life Connections Program works with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to match federal inmates in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Texas and Virginia with a mentor or mentoring groups within local faith-based communities.
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Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. Through thousands of human service programs, including housing and healthcare, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over 400 communities. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including at-risk youth, the frail elderly, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, and those recovering from addictions. Our work touches the mind, body, heart-and ultimately the spirit-of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services. For more information about Volunteers of America, visit http://www.volunteersofamerica.org/.