City of Philadelphia - File #: 110088

• File #: 110088
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 2/10/2011
• In control: Committee on Public Safety
• Title: Authorizing City Council's Committee on Public Safety to hold a public hearing to investigate the challenges and barriers effecting individuals with criminal records.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Miller, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Greenlee, Council President Verna, Councilmember Goode, Councilmember Rizzo, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Tasco, Councilmember Clarke, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember DiCicco, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Sanchez, Councilmember Krajewski, Councilmember Kelly, Councilmember Green

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
2/23/2011	0	Committee on Public Safety	HEARING NOTICES SENT
2/23/2011	0	Committee on Public Safety	HEARING HELD
2/23/2011	0	Committee on Public Safety	RECESSED
2/17/2011	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED & REFERRED
2/10/2011	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed On Next Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass

Title

Authorizing City Council's Committee on Public Safety to hold a public hearing to investigate the challenges and barriers effecting individuals with criminal records.

Body

WHEREAS, Millions of Americans - one in five adults - have arrest or conviction records that often follow them throughout their lives; and

WHEREAS, Individuals with criminal records are discriminated against on a very wide array of issues ranging from employment, housing, health care, public assistance… the list is long, truly unknown and constantly growing; and

WHEREAS, Most employers either exclude voluntary disclosures by applicants or conduct criminal background checks, potentially derailing qualified workers who may have minor offenses or inaccurate records attributed to them; and

WHEREAS, Criminal convictions can prevent an ex-offender from moving into a federally subsidized housing facility or participating in a federally assisted housing program; and

WHEREAS, It is also difficult for an ex-offender to get housing in the private market because they often lack the financial resources for a security deposit, lack the employment and housing references for applications or may even appear in an internet search inquired by the landlord; and

WHEREAS, Ex-offenders may be ineligible for the TANF, SSI and Food Stamp benefits that they may otherwise be eligible for; and

WHEREAS, When reentering into their communities, ex-offenders often do not receive proper medical and substance abuse treatment and even lose their disability status; and

WHEREAS, In some states, criminal conviction can be a ground for termination of parental rights; and

WHEREAS, Criminal convictions may also be used to prevent ex-offenders from becoming a foster or adoptive parent, even if the crime was not relevant to parental abilities; and

WHEREAS, Those who have been convicted for the possession or sale of controlled substances may become ineligible for federal financial aid for higher education indefinitely; and

WHEREAS, Past convictions by legal residents have very severe immigration repercussions and can ultimately lead to deportation; and

WHEREAS, This is not an exhaustive list of the civil barriers that prevent ex-offenders from assimilating back into their communities but rather an introduction to the challenges ex-offenders face.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That City Council hereby authorize City Council's Committee on Public Safety to hold a public hearing to investigate the challenges and barriers effecting individuals with criminal records.

Donna Reed Miller

Councilwoman - 8^th District

February 10, 2011