Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 38–Committee on
Legislative Affairs and Operations

 

May 21, 2003

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Referred to Committee on Legislative Affairs and Operations

 

SUMMARY—Directs Legislative Commission to conduct interim study of transitional housing for released offenders. (BDR R‑1344)

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

Senate Concurrent RESOLUTION—Directing the Legislative Commission to conduct an interim study of transitional housing for released offenders.

 

1-1  Whereas, More than 2 million people are now incarcerated in

1-2  the United States, a four-fold increase over the past 25 years, and

1-3  statistics show that two-thirds of those released will be rearrested

1-4  within 3 years and that 40 percent will be returned to custody; and

1-5  Whereas, One of the greatest challenges facing American

1-6  society today is the reintegration of the more than 600,000 inmates

1-7  who leave state and federal prisons to return home each year, with

1-8  far-reaching consequences; and

1-9  Whereas, In the State of Nevada, the Department of

1-10  Corrections releases over 4,800 inmates every year to return to

1-11  communities that are ill-equipped to handle the many demands this

1-12  places on the limited resources available; and

1-13      Whereas, While states and the Federal Government have

1-14  allocated increasing shares of their budgets to building and

1-15  operating prisons, transitional housing is an alternative that has

1-16  proven to be more cost-effective and to have a positive impact on

1-17  the released offenders; and

1-18      Whereas, When an offender is released directly back into the

1-19  community from which he came, he is often returning to the friends

1-20  and environment that contributed to his criminal conduct and too

1-21  easily falls back into destructive patterns of behavior, which may

1-22  include alcohol or drug abuse, domestic violence and gang activity,

2-1  and he may not be welcomed back into his own home because of the

2-2  chaos he has caused in his family; and

2-3  Whereas, Many released offenders are uneducated, have poor

2-4  life-management skills, and have little or no job skills, resulting in

2-5  bleak futures upon their release; and

2-6  Whereas, Many of those released have infectious diseases,

2-7  such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV and AIDS, and 16 percent of

2-8  offenders have some form of mental illness; and

2-9  Whereas, Studies have shown that offenders released into

2-10  transitional housing, which provides them with food and shelter, a

2-11  supportive environment, peer review, mentors, counseling, job skills

2-12  and education, have fewer problems reintegrating into their

2-13  communities and have a much lower rate of recidivism; and

2-14      Whereas, Since many released offenders have not had to make

2-15  their own decisions for years and may have feelings of rage,

2-16  hostility and shame, transitional housing provides the offender with

2-17  a controlled environment where he is held accountable for his

2-18  actions while learning how to adjust to a new living situation, thus

2-19  easing his transition from prison life to community life and allowing

2-20  him to become a productive member of society; and

2-21      Whereas, Since more than 1.5 million children in the United

2-22  States have a parent in prison and a child of an inmate is five times

2-23  more likely than the average child to serve time in prison as an

2-24  adult, it is essential that those offenders who are parents successfully

2-25  reintegrate back into their communities; and

2-26      Whereas, The State of Nevada recognizes the economic and

2-27  social importance of transitional housing and similar programs for

2-28  offenders who are released back into the community after

2-29  confinement; now, therefore, be it

2-30      Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the

2-31  Assembly Concurring, That the Legislative Commission is

2-32  hereby directed to appoint an interim committee, consisting of three

2-33  members of the Assembly and three members of the Senate, to

2-34  conduct a study of the feasibility of implementing a program for

2-35  transitional housing for felony offenders released on probation or

2-36  parole or released after discharge from the Department of

2-37  Corrections; and be it further

2-38      Resolved, That the study must include, without limitation:

2-39      1.  The specific problems to be addressed while an offender is

2-40  living in transitional housing, such as employment, alcohol and drug

2-41  abuse, domestic violence and health issues, and the community

2-42  resources available to address these problems;

 

 

3-1  2.  The evaluation of other programs for transitional housing

3-2  that have been successful, including, without limitation:

3-3  (a) Programs that require offenders to give back to their

3-4  communities by volunteering, such as building houses for Habitat

3-5  for Humanity or counseling young people in trouble with the law;

3-6  and

3-7  (b) Programs such as the Delancey Street Foundation and the

3-8  Altamont Program, where offenders are trained in such careers as

3-9  culinary arts, catering, building trades, and motel and restaurant

3-10  operations;

3-11      3.  A cost comparison of keeping an offender in confinement

3-12  versus releasing him to transitional housing;

3-13      4.  The development of reentry plans for offenders scheduled

3-14  for release and methods to be used to identify likely candidates for

3-15  transitional housing;

3-16      5.  The costs of building and operating a transitional housing

3-17  facility, by size, by scope of service and by location;

3-18      6.  The standards to be required of a transitional housing

3-19  facility, such as organization, house rules and consequences for

3-20  negative behavior, to ensure a structured, positive environment, and

3-21  the varying degrees of restrictions and monitoring required for

3-22  certain offenders;

3-23      7.  Specific requirements that must be met by a transitional

3-24  housing facility to receive licensing, including a review of the

3-25  related requirements of state and federal agencies;

3-26      8.  Identification of any unique or specific issues to be

3-27  addressed for youthful offenders, women and the mentally ill;

3-28      9.  Solutions to best address transitional housing for sex

3-29  offenders because of the safety concerns of the community in

3-30  having these offenders living in their neighborhoods and the

3-31  hostility of persons in the community towards these offenders;

3-32      10.  Methods to be used to ensure communication between

3-33  transitional housing facilities and the Division of Parole and

3-34  Probation of the Department of Public Safety, such as reports and

3-35  methods of monitoring facilities and offenders; and

3-36      11.  A review of the practices and resources of the Department

3-37  of Corrections and the Division of Parole and Probation of the

3-38  Department of Public Safety concerning the release of offenders into

3-39  the community; and be it further

3-40      Resolved, That any recommended legislation proposed by the

3-41  committee must be approved by a majority of the members of the

3-42  Senate and a majority of the members of the Assembly appointed to

3-43  the committee; and be it further

4-1  Resolved, That the Legislative Commission shall submit a

4-2  report of the results of the study and any recommendations for

4-3  legislation to the 73rd Session of the Nevada Legislature.

 

4-4  H