June 8, 2010

House Judiciary Hearing Wednesday: Collateral Consequences

UPDATE: For those following this issue, here is the Witness List and links to their testimony. Of those who testified two made mention of sex offenders: Richard T. Cassidy
and in a footnote Pamela K. Lattimore, Ph.D.
6-8-2010 Washington DC:

Dear Friends,

On June 9th, I will be testifying at a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on "Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions: Barriers to Reentry for the Formerly Incarcerated." You can download an advance copy of my testimony here.

As the reentry movement has gained ground throughout the nation, there is increasing concern about the policies that create obstacles for people with criminal convictions and those transitioning back to the community from prison. These include barriers to employment, housing, education, public benefits, voting, and many other programs and services. Policymakers and citizen groups are now focusing on examining the impact of the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction and calling for a renewed discussion of their wisdom and impact.

My testimony will address the ways in which collateral consequences hinder prospects for successful reentry and will make recommendations for policy change to remove unnecessary barriers to reentry and full citizenship rights.

The agenda and witnesses for the hearing can be found at the Subcommittee's Web site. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, June 9th at 10 a.m. in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

I hope you find this testimony useful in your work. We will keep you posted about policy developments in this area. You can also visit our Web site's Collateral Consequences page.

Regards, Marc Mauer

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