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NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Michelle Park, Executive Director (312) 988-6186; parkm@nawl.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN LAWYERS

NAWL WRITES LETTER TO HON. SAM BROWNBACK, U.S. SENATOR, AND U.S. CONGRESSMEN, HON. ROB PORTMAN AND HON. DANNY K. DAVIS, IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION S. 2789, THE "SECOND CHANCE ACT OF 2004"

Chicago, IL, October 5, 2004

The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) is pleased to support the recently introduced legislation, S. 2789, the "Second Chance Act of 2004", addressing the critical issue of assisting the immense number of inmates released each year from prisons and jails in becoming productive, law-abiding citizens in their communities. On September 23, 2004, NAWL officially supported this legislation in a letter that was sent to Senator Sam Brownback, Congressman Rob Portman, and Congressman Danny K. Davis.

NAWL has a particular interest in this legislation because it impacts the challenges faced by female offenders and their children, groups who are often overlooked in criminal justice policy. As the legislation recognizes, nationwide, more than 2 million children have a parent incarcerated in state and federal prisons and local jails. When parents are incarcerated, children's lives become disrupted and chaotic. In addition, these children's lives are often marked by poverty, parental substance abuse and mental illness, exposure to criminal activities, and other associated risk factors. As a result, children with incarcerated parents may be at greater risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties including withdrawal, aggression, anxiety, and depression; poor academic performance; alcohol and drug abuse; and juvenile delinquency.

In September 2001, the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections (NIC) created the Children of Prisoner Initiative and awarded a three-year cooperative agreement to the Child Welfare League of America, Inc. to create the first Federal Resource Center for Children of Prisoners. This significant resource will cease to exist without the reauthorization and funding provided by the "Second Chance Act of 2004".

NAWL feels this act is an important first step towards encouraging states and the federal government to identify and eliminate counterproductive legal barriers that often hamper former offenders from reentering society and becoming productive citizens. Other aspects of the bill that NAWL commends include its increased funding to assist states in establishing or improving programs to facilitate reentry into the community for each offender, and the establishment of a high-level interagency task force to better coordinate reentry programs and activities.