![]() ![]() A Harvard Law School study found that access to SNAP and TANF significantly reduced an individual’s risk of being reincarcerated by up to 10 percent within one year. Such odds of relapse can be offset by providing support. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that more than three-quarters of state prisoners were rearrested within five years of release. ![]() ![]() Public assistance such as TANF and SNAP consistently reduces recidivism, while banning access to assistance has been linked to increases in recidivism. A Rhode Island study concluded that 70.4 percent of those on probation experienced food insecurity, compared to 12.8 percent of the general population. When comparing levels of food insecurity found among people released from prison to the general public, formerly incarcerated people fare far worse. Ninety-one percent of people released from prison reported they experience food insecurity, according to the National Institutes of Health. When transitioning from jail or prison, people with convictions often face levels of food insecurity far higher than the general public. These programs can make the difference between hardship and destitution for people with convictions. SNAP benefits, which can only be used to purchase food, average $401 a month7 for a family of three. Benefit levels vary across states but are generally quite low the median being $492 a month for a family of three with no other income. TANF cash assistance is only available to families with very low incomes that have children. TANF and SNAP are critical programs that help people meet their basic needs. TANF & SNAP are Critical Supports for People with Convictions Women, moreover, are more likely than men to be convicted of a drug offense: 26 percent of incarcerated women were convicted of a drug offense in 2018, compared to 13 percent of men, according to the Sentencing Project. While fewer women than men are incarcerated, the total number of women who have been arrested has increased by 25 percent over the past 35 years, while decreasing by 33 percent for men. For women, incarceration rates have risen exponentially in recent years. In 2010, for instance, nearly one-third of Black males ages 25 to 29 who dropped out of high school were incarcerated or institutionalized. When considering educational attainment, young men of color without a high school diploma, especially Black men, are most at risk of incarceration. According to the Sentencing Project, one in three Black males born in 2001 will be imprisoned at some point in their lives, compared to one in six Latinx men and one in 17 white men. This has resulted in the conviction and incarceration of disproportionate numbers of Black and Latinx people, especially Black men. Such exclusions are racist: they are grounded in stereotypes about who receives public assistance, and they are especially punitive for Black and Latinx communities due to the War on Drugs’ uneven enforcement of drug laws and targeting of communities of color with low incomes. Denying access to basic needs programs makes it harder for people with convictions to get back on their feet. Some individuals may also need child care and/or mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Successful reentry into society from the criminal justice system requires being able to meet basic needs such as food, health care, and housing as well as access to employment and training services. And all states and the District of Columbia except for one, South Carolina, have either modified or removed the ban for at least one program, recognizing that it is not an effective crime deterrent, fails to address substance use disorders, and impedes reconnecting formerly incarcerated people to their families and communities. States, however, can opt to remove or modify the ban. The act imposes a lifetime ban on SNAP and TANF for those with a previous drug felony conviction, whether they have completed their time in jail or prison or received a lighter sentence due to the nonviolent and/or low-level nature of the offense. This practice began in 1996 under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). Some states subject people with a drug-related felony conviction to restrictions or complete bans on food assistance under SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps), cash assistance through TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or both. Individuals with prior felony convictions, incarcerated or not, often face “collateral consequences,” which are significant barriers imposed in addition to their sentences that can range from being denied employment to losing voting rights.
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