We have read of the impressive efforts of some communities to embrace and support immigrants from the Middle East, especially Syria and Iraq. The collective effort by these communities should be emulated as they provide financial, emotional, and material support for immigrant families to become integrated into the communities in which they have located after coming to the United States.
We think it would be great if an effort of this sort were directed at helping some of the 600,000 inmates who each year are released and returned to the community. Unfortunately, more than one-half of those released will be re-incarcerated within three years of their release. After serving time in prison, ex-offenders face major challenges in finding jobs, housing, and general assistance to deal with reintegrating into the community.
The needs of ex-offenders are very much like those of new immigrants. What is needed is a program sponsored by State and Federal agencies to connect ex-offenders with community support groups and to provide the consistent message that there is a second chance for those who want to work at it.
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