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Read. Follow. Verify.Hearing on Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
Record date · January 1, 2020
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What This Bill Does
The House Committee on Small Business held a hearing to explore how entrepreneurship training and support can help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reenter the workforce. The discussion focused on reducing rates and addressing the economic barriers faced by .
This hearing examines potential federal policy changes to support small business ownership for formerly incarcerated people, a group that faces significant barriers to traditional employment and high rates of .
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Formerly incarcerated individuals
They are the primary focus of potential entrepreneurship training and reentry support programs discussed by the committee.
Small Business Administration (SBA)
The committee is evaluating the effectiveness of current SBA programs in supporting entrepreneurship for returning citizens.
Key Facts
- The U.S. holds 25% of the world's prison population despite having only 5% of the world's total population.
- There are approximately 7,000 correctional facilities in the U.S., including 109 federal prisons and 3,163 local jails.
- The average annual cost to incarcerate one federal inmate in fiscal year 2017 was $36,299.
- Nearly 50% of federal inmates are serving time for non-violent drug offenses.
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- In 2018, more than 37,000 individuals were released from federal prisons.
- Approximately 97% of the 180,000 federal inmates will eventually be released.
- Nearly 50% of released individuals are rearrested within 8 years of their release.
Frequently Asked Questions
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceFull breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Focus on Entrepreneurship as Reentry Tool
The committee is explicitly shifting focus toward small business ownership as a primary mechanism for reducing recidivism, moving beyond traditional job placement programs.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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