Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 98
Ex-Offenders/Returning Citizens
After paying their debt to society, ex-offenders returning to their communities face many
barriers to putting their lives back together. Poor people of color, particularly men, are victims
of a discriminatory criminal justice system that seems intent on keeping them in poverty. The
stigma of having a criminal record means that ex-offenders—returning citizens is the term
preferred by advocacy groups—are already one of the groups most vulnerable to hunger. Policies that make millions of returning citizens ineligible for nutrition assistance only exacerbate
the problem—while studies show that access to public services that improve economic security, especially soon after people
are released, reduces recidivism
Figure 3.1 Number of Parents in Prison, 1991-2007
rates.1 The policies are counterproductive, go on punishing people
100,000
800,000
long after they’ve completed their
sentences, and turn their children,
75,000
600,000
other family members, and com50,000
400,000
munities into collateral damage.
TJ and Marquez
25,000
200,000
As his release date approached,
Terry Jones (TJ), 41, decided to
apply for SNAP benefits (which
Fathers
Mothers
used to be called food stamps). It
was the first time he had applied,
Source: The Sentencing Project (2012), “Parents in Prison.”
although he’d been eligible based
on income for most of his life. “I was too proud for food stamps,” he explained. Whe ?H ?\?H?Y \??]\? ?[H \?H ?\?H ?YH [??? ?\? H ??[?]?\?? ?HX[?? ]???[??[??? ?[??? ? \?H??? ?[\ ???[??Y\?Z[?X??]??? ?[\ ??X?]\?B??\????Y ???HH???]? ?\??H ??[?YY ??YY [K?] ?\?\???\Z\??]\??H?T?[?Y?] ???&]?H[??Y??H] ?[??]] ?[[ ?[??[? ?\?HB?]?\?H ?] \??[???]^?[?\?[Y?X?H?? \ ? ? ???? ?[\ ?H[? ??[?? \?[? ?[? ?\??\?H?]\??
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