Guns dot com
The proposals will essentially help to give some 600,000 inmates released from state and federal prisons annually a second chance to become solid, law-abiding members of society by eliminating the barriers they often face after release. The administration believes this is achieved, in part, through expanded opportunities for education and jobs, reducing or eliminating obstructions to employment, and by providing housing assistance.
The Department of Education has allotted up to $8 million to be dispersed into nine communities over the next three years, with the goal of providing educational opportunities to criminals, something which has been proven to reduce recurring incarceration rates. Additionally, as part of the TechHire initiative, more than 30 communities have stepped up and are working together, along with national companies, to help make tech training and jobs more readily available to those with a criminal history.
The president has also asked for Congress’ support in federal employment applications to “ban the box,” referring to a question typically present about prior criminal convictions, which oftentimes keeps an individual with such a history from progressing through the federal employment process. This is a step already taken by a number of state, city and private companies, and by eliminating such questions, all individuals applying for the position – including those with a criminal history – will have the opportunity to fairly compete for federal jobs.
