City of Philadelphia - File #: 170578

• File #: 170578
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 5/25/2017
• In control: CITY COUNCIL
• Final action: 5/25/2017
• Title: Recognizing June as Re-entry Awareness Month in the City of Philadelphia.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Green, Councilmember Domb, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Parker, Councilmember Gym, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Taubenberger, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Oh, Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez, Council President Clarke, Councilmember Henon, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember Squilla

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
5/25/2017	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed on This Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass
5/25/2017	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED

Title
Recognizing June as Re-entry Awareness Month in the City of Philadelphia.

Body
WHEREAS, An estimated 30,000 people return to Philadelphia from federal, state, and local prisons each year, and there are an estimated population of more than 200,000 returned citizens in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, As of December 31, 2015, Philadelphians accounted for 28% of people in state prisons, and Philadelphia has some of the highest re-arrest and re-incarceration rates for people released from state prison in Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphians returning from Philadelphia jails and federal prisons also experience extremely high rates of recidivism; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia's high recidivism rates carry heavy consequences for the well-being of affected individuals, families, and communities; and

WHEREAS, Individuals returning from prison face various difficulties, among them finding housing, securing drug treatment and other medical care, obtaining loans and credit, accessing higher education, and finding and maintaining employment. Re-entry programs seek to mitigate these difficulties, with the goal of reducing recidivism and helping returning citizens to thrive as productive members of society; and

WHEREAS, Reduced recidivism allows for reinvestment of savings in proactive programs including broad public safety and community enhancement initiatives; and

WHEREAS, Over 100 governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations involved in the Philadelphia Re-entry Coalition are actively collaborating to reduce recidivism in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, The Mayor's Office of Re-Integration Services (RISE) is leading the Kenney Administration's work to build on existing efforts to improve reentry outcomes in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia's increasing focus on re-entry is occurring within the context of a growing understanding of the importance of re-entry at the national level, as evidenced by the announcement by the U.S. ...