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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2025 - 2026
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 9, 2024 01:14 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Regina G. Young |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Dignity for Incarcerated Women: Healthy Inmate Reentry (Former HB1469) |
| The barriers to successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals are immense. This can include limiting a person’s access to employment opportunities, business and occupational licensing, housing, voting, education, and, of course, healthcare. As a result, the re-entry process for the thousands of inmates in Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system can prove anything but straightforward. Newly released individuals are immediately expected to resume their lives, apply for benefits, find a job, and pay for basic needs for themselves and their families, all while attempting to prevent their re-entry into the prison system. Prisons are constitutionally mandated to provide healthcare, but this responsibility ends upon release, thus placing formerly incarcerated individuals working through ailments, addiction, or mental health concerns at risk of relapse and/or re-offending. In order to address this problem, I plan to introduce legislation which would codify the current medical assistance application assistance in state law and expand it to other state and federal benefit programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), home heating assistance, long-term living services, and subsidized childcare. While not everyone will qualify, this assistance can be a game-changer for those who do qualify. In fact, individuals getting ready to be released may simply not know about the array of programs that can aide them in having a successful transition. For some individuals, the support of these programs is vital to their successful reintegration in the community, reducing the likelihood they will end up again behind bars. Please join me in continuing to show support for our incarcerated constituents through this legislation. For those who qualify for such benefits, assistance in the application process could significantly reduce a person’s likelihood of recidivism. On average, every 2 out of 3 formerly incarcerated Americans are rearrested within three years of their release. While the factors which contribute to this reality are complex, it is our responsibility as policymakers to address this issue and reduce the rate of recidivism in our state. Please join me in this support of this important legislation which would help remove existing barriers to re-entry for our formerly incarcerated constituents, to the benefit of their families and communities. Previous Co-Sponsors: Hill-Evans, Hohenstein, Cephas, Steele, Madden, Hanbidge, Parker, Sanchez, Kazeem, Green, and Kinkead. |
Memo Updated: December 9, 2024 01:15 PM