III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 440 

Designating April 2018 as ‘‘Second Chance Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 20, 2018 

Mr. PORTMAN (for himself, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LANKFORD, Ms. 

DUCKWORTH, Mr. CORNYN, and Mr. PETERS) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

APRIL 26, 2018 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating April 2018 as ‘‘Second Chance Month’’. 

Whereas every individual is endowed with human dignity and 

value; 

Whereas redemption and second chances are values of the 

United States; 

Whereas millions of individuals in the United States have a 

criminal record; 

Whereas hundreds of thousands of individuals return to their 

communities from Federal and State prisons every year; 

Whereas returning individuals have paid their debt after committing a crime but still face significant legal and societal 


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barriers (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘collateral consequences’’); 

Whereas collateral consequences are mandatory and take effect automatically, regardless of— 

(1) a nexus to public safety; 

(2) the seriousness of the offense; 

(3) the time passed since the offense; or 

(4) the efforts of the individual to make amends or 

earn back the trust of the public; 

Whereas gaining meaningful employment is one of the most 

significant predictors of successful reentry and reducing 

future criminal activity; 

Whereas many individuals who have previously been incarcerated struggle to find employment because of collateral 

consequences which are often not directly related to the 

offense committed or any proven public safety benefit; 

Whereas many States have laws which prohibit an individual 

with a criminal record from working in certain industries 

or obtaining professional licenses; 

Whereas education has also been shown to be a significant 

predictor of successful reentry; 

Whereas an individual with a criminal record often has a 

lower level of educational attainment than the general 

population and has significant difficulty acquiring admission to and funding for educational programs; 

Whereas an individual convicted of certain crimes is often 

barred from receiving the financial aid necessary to acquire additional skills and knowledge; 

Whereas an individual with a criminal record also often faces 

collateral consequences in securing a place to live; 


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Whereas an individual with a criminal record is often barred 

from seeking access to public housing; 

Whereas an individual with a criminal record also often faces 

other collateral consequences, such as an inability to regain voting rights, volunteer in the community, and secure identification documentation; 

Whereas an individual with a criminal record may incur significant debt as a result of conviction and incarceration 

of the individual; 

Whereas collateral consequences prevent millions of individuals in the United States from contributing fully to their 

families and communities; 

Whereas collateral consequences can contribute to recidivism, 

which increases crime and victimization and decreases 

public safety; 

Whereas the inability to find gainful employment and other 

collateral consequences of conviction inhibit the economic 

mobility of an individual with a criminal record, which 

can negatively impact the well-being of the children and 

the families of the individual for generations; 

Whereas the President in the 2018 State of the Union address expressed that, ‘‘As America regains its strength, 

this opportunity must be extended to all citizens. That is 

why this year we will embark on reforming our prisons 

to help former inmates who have served their time get a 

second chance at life’’; 

Whereas April 9, 2018, marks the 10-year anniversary of the 

passage of the Second Chance Act of 2007 (Public Law 

110–199; 122 Stat. 657), which has provided reentry 

services to over 166,000 individuals in 49 States and the 

District of Columbia; 


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Whereas the anniversary of the death of Charles Colson, who 

used his second chance following his incarceration for a 

Watergate-related crime to found Prison Fellowship, the 

largest outreach program to prisoners, former prisoners, 

and their families in the United States, falls on April 21; 

and 

Whereas the designation of April as ‘‘Second Chance Month’’ 

can contribute to increased public awareness about the 

impact of collateral consequences, the need for closure for 

those who have paid their debt, and opportunities for individuals, employers, congregations, and communities to 

extend second chances: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates April 2018 as ‘‘Second Chance 

3 Month’’; 

4 (2) honors the work of communities, govern5 mental institutions, nonprofit organizations, con6 gregations, employers, and individuals to remove un7 necessary legal and societal barriers that prevent an 

8 individual with a criminal record from becoming a 

9 productive member of society; and 

10 (3) calls upon the people of the United States 

11 to observe Second Chance Month through actions 

12 and programs that promote awareness of those un13 necessary legal and social barriers and provide clo14 sure for individuals with a criminal record who have 

15 paid their debt. 

Æ 


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