Letter: Second-chance initiative can help prevent crime
Leaders across the state have announced their commitment to reducing crime in our communities. Those of us who work every day with justice-involved individuals know that the best way to reduce crime is to address the social determinants that erode communities and create instability.
It is imperative to help justice-involved individuals through improving employment opportunities, increasing affordable housing, making educational prospects attainable and providing behavioral and primary care health services. These are the things that justice-involved individuals, like everyone else, need to be successful and healthy. The bottom line is healthy and stable people make healthy and stable communities.
Illinois' current approach to recidivism is not working. The result is a 40% recidivism rate that is estimated to have cost Illinois more than $13 billion between 2018 and 2023 according to a 2018 report issued by the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council.
Six bills introduced to the Illinois General Assembly, collectively known as the Second Chance State Initiative, aim to reduce crime by responding to the social determinants of justice involvement, incarceration and recidivism. These bills should be adopted.
The centerpiece of this initiative, the Second Chance State Act, will create a statewide agency to coordinate government and not-for-profit programs to create comprehensive, personalized services to help justice-involved individuals avoid recidivism.
Sustainable reductions in crime require sustainable responses to the social determinants that cause it. The Second Chance State Initiative will create a transformative program that will provide significant assistance to justice-involved individuals. By addressing the social determinants that are proven to impact recidivism, Illinois will be poised to achieve significant decreases in overall crime, resulting in healthy people and healthy communities. We urge the public and lawmakers to support it.
Victor Dickson, President & CEO
Safer Foundation
Chicago