In 1996 President William Clinton signed legislation to “end welfare as we know it” (Mauer 2015). The legislation that President Clinton signed is known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. According to the U.S. Government Publishing Office (1996) the purpose of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act was to increase the flexibility of states in operating a program designed to provide assistance to needy families, end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits, prevent and reduce the incidences of out of wedlock pregnancies, to promote marriage and two parent homes, and to remove any entitlement of families and/or individuals to assistance programs that are state funded.
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As a response to the war on drugs, the 1996 welfare reform (PRWORA) established a lifetime ban of eligibility for TANF, as well as food stamps, for any person convicted of a drug related felony. However, individual states did have the option to participate fully, partially, or not at all in the ban (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). In the article “A Lifetime of Punishment: The Impact of Felony Drug Ban on Welfare Benefits” by Marc Mauer (2015) he illustrates that by the end of 2011, 12 states were fully participating in the ban of welfare eligibility, specifically TANF, for felons with drug convictions, 25 were participating with modifications and 13 states opted not to participate in the ban at all. Therefore, in a majority of U.S. states, families with a history of drug convictions now lacked access to needed services. That disqualification for services greatly impacted the success of reentry for felons with drug …show more content…
In conjunction with the stigma that comes with being labeled a felon also comes the idea of collateral consequences, or invisible punishment. Mauer (2015) defines collateral consequences as a “sanction that results from a criminal conviction but takes effect outside the traditional sentencing framework.” Collateral consequences limit, if not removes, convicted felons eligibility for TANF, food stamps, public housing, obtaining loans for education, and ability to obtain employment (Mauer, 2015). It has been shown that a substantial number of people with criminal convictions belonged to marginalized groups, including but not limited to, the mentally ill, poor and/or homeless, but also had trauma histories resulting from sexual or physical abuse (Mauer, 2015). With the lack of support for these individuals the likelihood of them successfully integrating back into society decreases, and they may struggle with the same issues they encountered prior to being incarcerated. The services provided under PRWORA were determined to potentially be a good resource for individuals being released from prison to be able to transition back into the community with a decreased chance of recidivism. The services would allow for previously incarcerated individuals to obtain housing in
As a response to the war on drugs, the 1996 welfare reform (PRWORA) established a lifetime ban of eligibility for TANF, as well as food stamps, for any person convicted of a drug related felony. However, individual states did have the option to participate fully, partially, or not at all in the ban (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). In the article “A Lifetime of Punishment: The Impact of Felony Drug Ban on Welfare Benefits” by Marc Mauer (2015) he illustrates that by the end of 2011, 12 states were fully participating in the ban of welfare eligibility, specifically TANF, for felons with drug convictions, 25 were participating with modifications and 13 states opted not to participate in the ban at all. Therefore, in a majority of U.S. states, families with a history of drug convictions now lacked access to needed services. That disqualification for services greatly impacted the success of reentry for felons with drug …show more content…
In conjunction with the stigma that comes with being labeled a felon also comes the idea of collateral consequences, or invisible punishment. Mauer (2015) defines collateral consequences as a “sanction that results from a criminal conviction but takes effect outside the traditional sentencing framework.” Collateral consequences limit, if not removes, convicted felons eligibility for TANF, food stamps, public housing, obtaining loans for education, and ability to obtain employment (Mauer, 2015). It has been shown that a substantial number of people with criminal convictions belonged to marginalized groups, including but not limited to, the mentally ill, poor and/or homeless, but also had trauma histories resulting from sexual or physical abuse (Mauer, 2015). With the lack of support for these individuals the likelihood of them successfully integrating back into society decreases, and they may struggle with the same issues they encountered prior to being incarcerated. The services provided under PRWORA were determined to potentially be a good resource for individuals being released from prison to be able to transition back into the community with a decreased chance of recidivism. The services would allow for previously incarcerated individuals to obtain housing in