| 1/31/2013 |
Metts bills aim to give ex-offenders a fair chance
STATE HOUSE – “Our current system of criminal justice and incarceration amounts to a life sentence for many individuals, even after time served,” said Sen. Harold M. Metts (D-Dist. 6, Providence). “We continue to punish individuals long after they have served their time and paid their debt to society.”
“Punishments should certainly fit the crime, but repentance and restoration are teachings we learn from the Bible,” said Senator Mettts. “Individuals who have done wrong and paid for their mistakes should not be haunted for the rest of their lives. Yet many are currently not given a chance to move on and are routinely screened out of many jobs at which they could be successful and which they need to transition back to normal society.”
To help ex-offenders make the re-entry to society, Senator Metts will be introducing legislation that would “ban the box,” the term used to mean removing conviction history questions from job applications.
Communities of color and poor communities are targets for large-scale imprisonment, racial profiling and high unemployment rates, said Senator Metts. “People coming out of prison need jobs to feed their families, pay rent, move on with their lives. A job, a place to live and supportive services are the three legs of the stool of successful re-entry programs, but one of those legs is missing when a person can’t find a job, and unemployment continues the cycle of repeat incarceration.”
It is no wonder, said Senator Metts, that Rhode Island has a recidivism rate of more than 60 percent. “People with jobs are much less likely to return to committing crimes in order to survive,” he said.
A second bill to be introduced by Senator Metts is also intended to help ex-offenders find jobs and housing, obtain occupational licenses and other benefits and opportunities available to other individuals.
“Some individuals who have completed their sentences, who have shown good conduct while incarcerated and who show a desire to re-establish themselves as law-abiding members of society still face impediments,” said Senator Metts. “That’s unfortunate but understandable. Employers and other decision-makers need some sort of assurance about a person’s reliability.”
To help ex-offenders in their effort to re-enter society and to assure prospective employers and others that ex-offenders have been successful in their rehabilitation, Senator Metts is proposing establishment of a “certificate of good conduct.” Presented to parolees who meet certain eligibility requirements, the document would serve as an official determination of a parole board that the person receiving it has, consistent with the concerns of public safety, successfully achieved his or her rehabilitation and is prepared to re-enter society.
“This document can have the effect of removing legal impediments to and restrictions on a person’s ability to find work, to obtain professional licenses, to secure housing,” said Senator Metts. “It is a way to recognize these individuals have turned their lives around and deserve a second chance.”
The legislation would restrict award of a “certificate of good conduct” to an individual who has not been convicted of more than one felony (that is not a crime of violence) and who has paid all fines and other penalties imposed by the court. It would assign power to the parole board to hear petitions from individuals for issuance of a certificate and to establish a minimum period of good conduct for potential applicants.
“Enactment of this legislation will help to restore hope that will benefit these individuals and our society as a whole,” said Senator Metts. “Having shown good conduct while incarcerated, they need a chance to prove, once they are released, that they intend to live a life of good conduct.”
“We must move beyond punishment,” said Senator Metts. “We must have a system that encourages restoration, that opens paths of opportunity for those who wish to lead good lives. Encouraging good behavior and sincere efforts at rehabilitation can help reduce recidivism and ultimately save taxpayer dollars.”
For more information, contact:
Randall T. Szyba, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2457 |
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