WHEREAS, An estimated 25,000 people return to Philadelphia from federal, state, and local prisons and jails each year, and there is an estimated population of well over 200,000 returned citizens in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphians returning from jails and prisons experience extremely high rates of recidivism; and high recidivism rates carry devastating consequences for the well-being of impacted individuals, families, and communities; and
WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania there are over 860 consequences of conviction, including legal and regulatory sanctions and restrictions that limit or prohibit people with criminal records from accessing employment, occupational licensing, housing, voting, education, and other opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Individuals returning from incarceration face various difficulties, among them finding housing, accessing medical care and treatment, obtaining loans and credit, accessing higher education, finding employment
,
and advancing along career pathways; and
WHEREAS, Reentry programs and reentry advocates seek to mitigate these difficulties, with the goal of reducing recidivism and creating more opportunities for returning citizens to thrive; and
WHEREAS, Reduced recidivism allows for community reinvestment and proactive approaches to public safety, resulting in safer and more stable communities; and
WHEREAS, Over 115 agencies and organizations involved in the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition are actively collaborating to reduce recidivism in Philadelphia; and the City is creating a new Office of Reentry Partnerships
to elevate and build on existing efforts to improve reentry outcomes in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, the Council of the City of Philadelphia formally recognized June as Reentry Awareness Month in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Reentry Awareness Month is an opportunity for the City of Philadelphia to highlight the achievements and successes of its returning citizens, and to rededicate itself to ensuring that returning citizens are afforded the full rights and opportunities of citizenship; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
,
Hereby celebrates this June as Reentry Awareness Month, and recognizes the accomplishments and achievements of returning citizens across Philadelphia.
End