WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today applauded House passage of the Second Chance Act of 2007, legislation which seeks to combat high rates of prisoner recidivism. The bill last night passed the House by a 347-62 vote.

"I am very pleased that the House of Representatives passed the Second Chance Act of 2007," said Brownback. "Currently, almost two-thirds of the 600,000 individuals released from prison will be re-arrested. The system is not working. With House passage of the bill, we are one step closer to providing much needed reentry resources to state and local governments and to non-profit organizations to constructively re-integrate ex-offenders into society."

The Second Chance Act creates grant programs for state and local governments to be used for reentry programs such as job-training, literacy programs and substance abuse programs. The legislation also includes provisions for grant allocation to non-profit organizations for mentoring programs to aid inmates and their families, with special focus on the children of incarcerated individuals.

Brownback continued, "In 1982, American taxpayers spent approximately $9 billion on corrections. In 2002, that number increased to $60 billion. We must stop subsidizing prison programs that do not work and lead to negative behavior, less safety, more crime and wasted money."

Brownback was joined earlier this year by Senators Joe Biden (D-DE), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Arlen Specter (R-PA) to author the Senate version of the Second Chance Act.

Brownback is a member of the Senate Appropriations and Judiciary Committees.

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