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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 2:58 am
Time: 2:58 am
Results for low-income communities of color
1 results foundAuthor: Thompson, Darrel Title: No More Double Punishments: Lifting the Ban on SNAP and TANF for People with Prior Felony Drug Convictions Summary: Introduction Individuals with prior felony convictions, incarcerated or not, often face "collateral consequences," which are significant barriers imposed in addition to their sentences that can range from being denied employment to losing voting rights. Some states subject people with a drug-related felony conviction to restrictions or complete bans on food assistance under SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps), cash assistance through TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or both. This practice began in 1996 under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). The act imposes a lifetime ban on SNAP and TANF for those with a previous drug felony conviction, whether they have completed their time in jail or prison or received a lighter sentence due to the nonviolent and/or low-level nature of the offense. States, however, can opt to remove or modify the ban. And all states except three and the District of Columbia have either modified or removed the ban for at least one program, recognizing that it is not an effective crime deterrent, fails to address substance use disorders, and impedes reconnecting formerly incarcerated people to their families and communities. Successful reentry into society from the criminal justice system requires access to basic needs such as food, healthcare, and housing as well as employment and training services. Some individuals may also need childcare and/or mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Denying access to basic needs programs such as SNAP and TANF makes it harder for returning citizens to get back on their feet. And such exclusions are especially punitive for communities of color. Over the last four decades, the War on Drugs has engendered uneven enforcement of drug laws and targeting of low-income communities of color, resulting in the conviction and incarceration of disproportionate numbers of Black and Latino people, especially Black men. According to the Sentencing Project, one in three Black males born in 2001 will be imprisoned at some point in their lives, compared to one in six Latino men and one in 17 White men. When considering educational attainment, young men of color, especially Black men, without a high school diploma are most at risk of incarceration. In 2010, for instance, nearly one-third of Black males ages 25 to 29 who dropped out of high school were incarcerated or institutionalized. For women, incarceration rates have risen exponentially in recent years. While fewer women than men are incarcerated, the number of women in prison "has been increasing at twice the rate of growth for men since 1980." Women, too, are more likely than men to be convicted of a drug offense: Twenty-five percent of incarcerated women were convicted of a drug offense in 2016, compared to 14 percent of men, according to the Sentencing Project. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Law and Social Policy, 2019. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 3, 2019 at: https://www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/publications/2019/01/2019_%20nomoredoublepunishments.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/publications/2019/01/2019_%20nomoredoublepunishments.pdf Shelf Number: 154751 Keywords: Drug Felony ConvictionsLow-Income Communities of ColorMass IncarcerationNon-Violent OffendersSNAPTANFWelfareWelfare Eligibility |