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Time for Federal Criminal Justice Reform

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COMMENTARY 

Saying he'll be "waiting with a pen," President Donald Trump recently endorsed the idea of passing a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill in Congress' lame duck session. Some members of the Senate are less enthusiastic. 

They shouldn't be. Criminal justice reform has the potential to boost the nation's economy dramatically. Employers are rallied behind this cause, and so are the American people. 

The current U.S. jobless rate is just 3.7 percent. The job market is so hot, including in Nebraska, that some analysts think it is getting difficult for companies to create new jobs because they know it will be impossible to find qualified people to fill them.

Let's therefore make it easier for more men and women to leave prison job-ready. 

Rehabilitation and training form the foundation of successful re-entry. Additional federal support for programs that help individuals gain knowledge and skills while they are incarcerated should be part of any reform package. Prisons also should be encouraged to incentivize use of these programs by prisoners since they have been proven to improve public safety, offering credits toward early parole for job training completion.

Appropriate in-prison programming is an effective way to help a person who is incarcerated gain the skills, education, and character development he or she will need to prepare for successful re-entry after serving their time. These programs take many forms.

For example, in Nebraska, Prison Fellowship provides two Academies that offer 12-month programs at the Nebraska State Prison in Lincoln, and the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York. The programs are still relatively new in Nebraska, but reformers are optimistic about their prospects because in other states, the programs are correlated with recidivism rates of less than ten percent, an extraordinary figure given that total recidivism rate in some states can be higher than 60 percent. 

Other program offerings such as Alpha and The Last Mile show great promise. Additionally, collaborative efforts between the Department of Corrections and the Cornhusker Council of Scouts provide meaningful opportunities for inmates to re-connect with their children and families. This is further complimented by the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree program that reaches out each year to more than 2,000 children with a parent in Nebraska prisons.

The dignity of work - of having and holding a real job - is an important way we keep men and women from again landing behind bars. 

Employers are eager to offer second chances. A survey this year by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Charles Koch Institute found that only 14 percent of human resource professionals would not be willing to hire an individual with a criminal record. Nearly half said they didn't feel strongly that criminal history should be a deciding factor in hiring. 

Training and eager employers aren't always enough to ensure formerly incarcerated individuals will succeed. Mental health care and addiction recovery programs also are essential. 

Formerly incarcerated individuals need compassion and emotional support, and dedicated researchers are trying to figure out what types of interventions best provide these necessities. A team of scholars from Florida State University (FSU) is leading the research component of the Safer Streets, Second Chances program using a five key model that tracks former inmates as they carry out individualized plans designed to address their personal needs. The goal of the study is to help them cope with the pressures of re-entry and everyday life to increase the likelihood of successful re-entry. 

The initiative has the potential to jolt the U.S. justice system and ensure millions of formerly incarcerated individuals never again seek a life of crime. Lawmakers should keep an eye on this study and continue to work with experts to highlight and implement best practices.

There is another economic benefit to all of this: reducing recidivism saves taxpayer resources and allows law enforcement to focus its efforts on preventing crime. In Texas, programs like these and other criminal justice reforms have resulted in $3 billion of taxpayer savings.

Nebraska is working to keep more people from returning behind bars by putting more ex-offenders into real jobs when they leave prison. This is a meaningful step towards creating safer communities at lower costs. It's one federal lawmakers should take during the lame duck session this December. 

Robert Milligan is a retired Nebraska business executive, co-founder of M.I. Industries & founder of Nature's Variety Nutritional Pet Products, former chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, former member of the Nebraska and Lincoln Chambers of Commerce, and current board member of Prison Fellowship.

Vikrant Reddy is a senior research fellow at the Charles Koch Institute focusing on criminal justice and policing reform.

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About The Author

Robert Milligan is a retired Nebraska business executive, co-founder of M.I. Industries & founder of Nature's Variety Nutritional Pet Products, former chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, former member of the Nebraska and Lincoln Chambers of Commerce, and current board member of Prison Fellowship. Vikrant Reddy is a senior research fellow at the Charles Koch Institute focusing on criminal justice and policing reform.