Every day, more than 1,700 people are released from prison. In the decade I spent as a probation and parole officer, I saw how much is riding on their success. Overcoming recidivism can lead to relational healing, independence and restored potential. The bleak alternative comes at a steep cost to families, society, taxpayers, and — most devastatingly — the victims of crime.
The Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 offers a path forward for people leaving prison. By removing barriers to reintegration, Congress can help safeguard communities while upholding human dignity and potential.
Protecting the public is the government’s job, and never-ending punishments don’t help leaders deliver. Instead, targeted reentry support promotes safety. The Second Chance Act, passed in 2008, has helped more than 442,000 formerly incarcerated people stay on track with reentry services like job training, housing and addiction recovery support. People without access to these resources are more likely to reoffend.
Recidivism increases law enforcement workload. Reentry-support reduces the burden on police and parole officers, freeing them up to focus on their primary roles. When I served in Louisiana, my caseload was overwhelming. I tried to meet my clients’ complex needs. But whenever someone reoffended, I got buried in paperwork and had to spend time away from my office. As a result, I had less bandwidth to help the clients who were doing everything possible to comply with the law.
Around 95 percent of people in prison will be released. The lack of support makes it an uphill battle to avoid rearrest, much less thrive. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 82 percent of people released across 24 states in 2008 were rearrested within 10 years.
The best way to improve public safety, therefore, is to transform the reentry environment. Stigma compounds the factors driving recidivism, but addressing root issues and connecting people to resources provides them an effective offramp from their past.
Every person who finishes his or her sentence should have the right to a responsible, productive life, free from lifelong collateral consequences. Second chances benefit everyone: People with criminal records face barriers to housing, which means reentry support combats homelessness. Children fare better when their parents can access good jobs, and employers with fair hiring practices often find loyal employees. And taxpayers are spared the high costs of poor reintegration and dependence on taxpayer-funded benefits.
One of my clients, a woman with a lengthy rap sheet, couldn’t find a job despite her best efforts. I helped her get into trucking school, but she couldn’t work without passing a background check. I sent a letter on her behalf, outlining everything she had done to change her life. Finally, she received a certification allowing her to become a transportation worker. The wages she earned helped her leave a life of crime. The job gave her a sense of dignity. Finally, she can contribute to her family and society.
Passing the Second Chance Reauthorization Act makes practical sense; it also embodies justice. What greater justice can we offer to crime victims than for the people responsible to not only be held accountable, but also be transformed, so that no one else endures the same pain? That is true justice: making it possible for people to be whole again instead of writing them off for life.
For faith communities, this is a clear biblical calling. Micah 6:8 says a good life is one where we “seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.” We balance the requirements of accountability and compassion, knowing that each of us could one day stand in the place of those coming home from prison today. They deserve a process that works, but in my experience, the reentry process often fails somewhere along the way. Upon release, many of my clients couldn’t find the resources they needed. Passing the Second Chance Reauthorization Act will make the reentry process fairer and more effective by strengthening support systems and keeping people out of jail who don’t need to be locked up.
The Second Chance Reauthorization Act is not a handout. It is not an expansion of government. It is a solution-oriented approach to what communities affected by incarceration need now: mental health support, job training, family support, addiction recovery, and more. These services are performed by locally rooted, trusted organizations that are adept at addressing complex issues.
Crime affects us all. Reducing the likelihood that people coming home from incarceration will reoffend is a boon to their families, employers, taxpayers, law enforcement officers, and the public. By investing in our returning neighbors, we invest in America’s future and the safety of our streets.
Scott Peyton is the director of government affairs at Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit equipping the church to serve currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families and a leading advocate for justice and human dignity inside and outside prison.
