Rep. Watson Coleman Votes to Aid Reentry, Prevent Recidivism

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 1, 2022) — Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) voted to pass H.R. 3372, the One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act. This bipartisan legislation authorizes the Justice Department to provide grants to establish “one stop” community resource centers for formerly incarcerated individuals.   

In the United States, more than 600,000 individuals are released from prison annually. These individuals lack the necessary resources to re-enter society, and as a result, many of them are encouraged to reoffend. As a result, the U.S. has one of the highest recidivism rates in the world.  

“Upon release from prison, formerly incarcerated Americans are asked to win a series of uphill battles in order to reintegrate into their communities,” said Congresswoman Watson Coleman. “For these individuals, finding housing, employment, and education can be nearly insurmountable challenges. By establishing centers that assist formerly incarcerated individuals with these processes, the One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act will help get these Americans back on their feet and bring us closer to breaking the cycle of recidivism. It’s a necessary step toward building a more humane, more effective, more equitable criminal justice system, and I was proud to vote for it.”  

Congresswoman Watson Coleman recently introduced the New Pathways Act, which would also prevent recidivism and address the United States’ mass incarceration problem. The Congresswoman’s bill would reduce barriers to reentry by directing the Bureau of Prisons to help formerly incarcerated Americans obtain government-issued identification.