News Release

• More Releases

Former Prisoners Need Jobs, Health Care and Family Support to Stay Out of Jail

Goodwill Industries Testifies Before Congress in Support of Second Chance Act

March 19, 2007

Rockville, MD - Goodwill Industries is calling on the U.S. Congress to help stop the downward spiral of criminal recidivism through the integration of job training, family strengthening, drug treatment and mental health services. In a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, Steven P. Lufburrow, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Houston, said it has become vitally important to aid in the reintegration process of those who have committed crimes.

"We don't have comprehensive and coordinated services for ex-offenders from local, state, and federal authorities," says Lufburrow. "With nearly 650,000 people released from jails and prisons each year, we are reaching a national crisis in serving this group and helping people reintegrate into society." According to recent studies, seven out of 10 ex-offenders will commit new crimes within three years.

In 2005 alone, 97 local Goodwill agencies across the United States helped more than 45,000 current and former inmates. "We know first hand that it takes much more than a strong work ethic to be relevant in today's workplace," says George W. Kessinger, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "It takes long-term, ongoing employment solutions and a criminal justice system that, through work, helps people find a path to self-sufficiency and financial independence."

The Second Chance Act would help reduce recidivism by allocating the necessary funds to support such services as job training, the development of healthy child-parent relationships, substance abuse treatment, and services for both physical and mental illness.