SR0897 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0897 LRB103 40137 ECR 71834 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, After being released from a state or federal penal system, 95% of justice-involved persons will reenter society at a crossroads, with one path leading to recidivism and the other leading to an opportunity for a second chance; and

WHEREAS, Prison-based education and vocational programs yield favorable dividends; for every $1 invested in prison-based education, up to $5 of taxpayer savings are produced from reduced incarceration costs as well as a 43% decrease in recidivism by individuals who participate in prison education programs, a 13% increase in employment among those who participate in either academic or vocational programs, and a 28% increase in employment among those who participate in vocational programs alone; and

WHEREAS, A study, conducted by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority involving a segment of justice-involved persons who exited a prison facility in Illinois in 2018 and had their employment tracked through 2021, found that participants had an unemployment rate of 46%, their average income was lower than the federal poverty level, and their hourly wages were lower than the state minimum wage; this study also noted that African American persons who were convicted of a crime had a higher unemployment rate and lower wages than other races after release; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge support for the development and execution of rehabilitation, job and career assessment, and job training programming, all of which is essential in training persons released from a state correctional facility to promote the individual's successful rehabilitation, reentry, and reintegration into the community as productive, self-sufficient members of society; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express our commitment to learning more about how the State of Illinois can help support justice-involved individuals reentering society address barriers to employment and attain good paying jobs to enable their ability to become contributing taxpayers in the future.