Media Inquiries: Nick E. Smith, JD Policy Associate College and Community Fellowship O: 646-380-7772 C: 347-471-5841 nsmith@collegeandcommunity.

org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vivian Nixon, Executive Director of College and Community Fellowship (CCF), and co-founder of the Education from the Inside Out Coalition (EIO), released the following statement with respect to Senator David Vitters (R-LA) amendment to the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013, Amendment 1056 to S.954, which would create a lifetime ban on any individual who has been convicted of a specified crime at any point during their lives from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps. The prohibition would be retroactive and would apply even if the crime was committed during the individuals youth, and even if the individual has repaid their debt to society and has not reoffended. It would also reduce the amount of assistance for a family with a member convicted of a covered offense, imposing potential food shortages on children and families. Executive Director Vivian Nixons Statement: I am appalled to discover that a member of the United States Senate has decided to turn his back on millions of Americans who, although they have made a mistake at some point in their lives, are now the target of yet another collateral consequence of that previous mistake. Individuals with past criminal justice involvement already face an enormous array of barriers to successfully reentering society, such as barriers to employment, housing and higher education. Those who currently qualify for food stamps often come from households that are considered low to moderate income. By denying individuals with specific criminal convictions access to food stamps, the most basic human need, Congress threatens to cause millions of Americans to fall into deeper levels of poverty at a time when the economy is recovering at a tepid rate. According to the National Employment Law Project, nearly 65 million U.S. residents have a criminal record on file, the highest rate of any country due to the U.S. trend of mass incarceration. Research shows a direct relationship between increased levels of poverty and incarceration. Further, the amendment threatens to disproportionately impact communities of color, as African Americans and Latinos are vastly overrepresented in the nations prisons and jails, in proportion to their population. Elected officials must consider the reality of who such as move would impact. They should think about the low-income single mother who was forced to defend herself and her children against domestic violence abuse. If she is convicted of a violent crime, she risks losing the ability to feed herself and her family with such as broad ban. Targeting select violent crimes with this punitive move is wrong. In fact, individuals convicted of a violent crime tend to reoffend at rates lower than those with other convictions. Instead of enacting yet another collateral consequence, which has been the hallmark of criminal justice policy over the past thirty years, elected officials should focus on measures that will lead to poverty reduction, job creation and reduced recidivism. For example, reinstating Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals will enable them to earn an education during incarceration and increase their chances of obtaining employment that pays a living wage and allows them to support families without the need to resort to SNAP benefits.

Media Inquiries: Nick E. Smith, JD Policy Associate College and Community Fellowship O: 646-380-7772 C: 347-471-5841 nsmith@collegeandcommunity.org

Founded in 2000, College and Community Fellowship is a New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping women involved in the criminal justice system attain a higher education. CCFs Fellows have earned 46 Associate, 120 Bachelor, 61 Masters degrees and one Ph.D. In 2008, CCF co-founded the national non-partisan collaborative, Education from the Inside Out Coalition, to advocate for the removal of educational barriers facing currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. EIO is co-lead by CCF, The Fortune Societys David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy and the Center for Community Alternatives.

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