Courtesy of Prison Fellowship's Social Media Toolkit
On March 31, President Joe Biden proclaimed April 2021 to be Second Chance Month for America, which will be a time when “we lift up all those who, having made mistakes, are committed to rejoining society and making meaningful contributions.”
“Every person has dignity and potential.” – PrisonFellowship.org
Prison Fellowship launched the Second Chance Month initiative in 2017 to raise awareness about barriers to re-entry, such as access to education, jobs and housing, that 1 in 3 Americans face.
What is the legal system’s purpose?
The criminal legal system — also referred to as the justice system — seeks to:
Provide retribution to those impacted by crime
Deter crime from happening in the future by punishing individuals for wrongful actions
Incapacitate criminals by placing them in prison, protecting the public from their acts
Rehabilitate offenders into after serving time
Restore or repair damages from the legal system that the criminal faces
However, rehabilitation and restoration are often overlooked in the “law and order” narrative that has been pushed over the last two decades. This is where Second Chance Month comes in.
What do second chances mean?
In his proclamation, Biden shared a few examples of what providing second chances to offenders could look like, including:
Prioritizing treatment for — rather than incarcerating — those who use illegal drugs
Limiting the length of prison sentences
Providing job training and educational opportunities for those who are incarcerated to better prepare them for re-entry
Invest the savings from reduced incarceration into reentry programs (which help those who have been convicted of crimes) and social services (which can help to reduce crime rates in the first place)
"By focusing on prevention, reentry, and social support, rather than incarceration, we can ensure that America is a land of second chances and opportunity for all people." – President Joe Biden
Take Action
Prison Fellowship suggests several ways to get involved in Second Chance Month. Although Biden has already declared April 2021 to be Second Chance Month, Congress has yet to do so. Encourage your representatives to do so by filling out this form!
Visit the organization’s Second Chance Month awareness page to fundraise, register for events and learn more about this initiative.
How are you taking action in April 2021? Tweet @lizbierlymedia or let me know below!
Comments