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File #: 25-2300    Version: 1 Name: Second Chance Month
Type: Consent Calendar Resolution Status: Approved
File created: 4/3/2025 In control: Board of Commissioners
On agenda: 4/10/2025 Final action: 4/10/2025
Title: PROPOSED RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING APRIL AS SECOND CHANCE MONTH WHEREAS, beginning in 2017, research institutions, community organizations, local and federal government agencies have recognized April as Second Chance Month; and WHEREAS, Second Chance Month is a time to raise awareness about the challenges faced by individuals returning home from incarceration and promote second chances for these members of our community who have paid their debt to society; and WHEREAS, the United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world where, despite being less than 5% of the world's population, the U.S. accounts for approximately 20% of the world's prison population; and WHEREAS, according to the Prison Policy Institute, nearly 2 million people are incarcerated in federal, state and local prisons and jails across the United States; and WHEREAS, approximately 53,000 Illinois residents are incarcerated in prison or jail; and WHEREAS, stark racial disparities persist in o...
Sponsors: MICHAEL SCOTT JR., TONI PRECKWINKLE (President), TARA S. STAMPS, BILL LOWRY, DR. KISHA E. McCASKILL, KEVIN B. MORRISON, JOHN P. DALEY, FRANK J. AGUILAR, ALMA E. ANAYA, SCOTT R. BRITTON, BRIDGET GAINER, DONNA MILLER, STANLEY MOORE, JOSINA MORITA, MAGGIE TREVOR, BRIDGET DEGNEN, SEAN M. MORRISON
title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION

ACKNOWLEDGING APRIL AS SECOND CHANCE MONTH

WHEREAS, beginning in 2017, research institutions, community organizations, local and federal government agencies have recognized April as Second Chance Month; and

WHEREAS, Second Chance Month is a time to raise awareness about the challenges faced by individuals returning home from incarceration and promote second chances for these members of our community who have paid their debt to society; and

WHEREAS, the United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world where, despite being less than 5% of the world's population, the U.S. accounts for approximately 20% of the world's prison population; and

WHEREAS, according to the Prison Policy Institute, nearly 2 million people are incarcerated in federal, state and local prisons and jails across the United States; and

WHEREAS, approximately 53,000 Illinois residents are incarcerated in prison or jail; and

WHEREAS, stark racial disparities persist in our criminal legal system with Black Americans imprisoned at five times the rate of white Americans; and

WHEREAS, almost 5 million residents in the United States were formally incarcerated in state or federal prisons and at least 79 million people have a criminal record; and

WHEREAS, formally incarcerated individuals face legal and social barriers to attaining employment and fair housing; they experience higher rates of housing and food insecurity, mental, behavioral and physical health issues; and

WHEREAS, the time individuals are returning home from jail or prison, often referred to as the reentry period, is a critical time where both risk factors and protective factors impact outcomes for returning residents who can benefit from support as they navigate the challenges associated with reentry; and

WHEREAS, access to services including employment support, housing, health services and legal aid can contribute to successful reentry and effectively reduce rates of recidivi...

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