Kalief Browder Reentry Success Act of 2017 or Kalief's Law
This bill directs the Department of Justice to establish a pilot program to provide pre-release mental health screenings and post-release mental health and social services to individuals who are incarcerated or detained at federal and state or local correctional facilities.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1853 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1853
To authorize the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of
the National Institute of Mental Health, to carry out a pilot program
in correctional facilities in order to provide mental health services
and other social services to eligible individuals, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 3, 2017
Mr. Crowley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of
the National Institute of Mental Health, to carry out a pilot program
in correctional facilities in order to provide mental health services
and other social services to eligible individuals, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Kalief Browder Reentry Success Act
of 2017'' or ``Kalief's Law''.
SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTHCARE PILOT PROGRAM FOR PRISONERS UPON RELEASE.
(a) Authorization.--The Attorney General, in consultation with the
Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, shall carry out a
pilot program in not more than 5 correctional facilities owned and
operated by the Bureau of Prisons and not more than 5 correctional
facilities owned or operated by a State or local department of
corrections in order to provide mental health services and other social
services to eligible individuals in accordance with subsection (b).
(b) Availability of Mental Health Services.--The head of a
correctional facility that is participating in the pilot program under
this section shall enter into a contract with a provider of mental
health services and providers of other social services in order to
provide, for eligible individuals, the following:
(1) A comprehensive screening of the individual's mental
health prior to the individual's release from custody.
(2) Upon release from a correctional facility, access to
mental health services and other social services, including
measures to facilitate the individual's access to--
(A) evidence-based psychosocial interventions;
(B) necessary psychiatric medications, including
re-evaluation by a psychiatrist who may prescribe
medications that are different than those eligible
individuals received in a correctional setting;
(C) the individual's medical records from the
correctional facility; and
(D) services to assist the individual in obtaining
housing, employment, and personal records, including
records which may be required to obtain a personal
identification card.
(c) Application for State and Local Correctional Facilities.--The
head of a State or local department of corrections seeking to
participate in the pilot program under this section shall submit to the
Attorney General an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Attorney General may reasonably
require, including a plan to provide the services described in
subsection (b).
(d) Federal Prisons.--The Attorney General, in consultation with
the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, shall select the 5 Federal
correctional facilities to participate in the pilot program under this
section.
(e) Priority.--In determining which correctional facilities to
select for the pilot program under this section, the Attorney General
shall give priority to correctional facilities at which--
(1) a high percentage of prisoners spend time in
restrictive housing; or
(2) there is a high percentage of recidivism and
reincarceration among individuals recently released from that
correctional facility.
(f) Inclusion of Male and Female Correctional Facilities.--At least
one correctional facility participating in the pilot program shall be a
correctional facility at which only females are incarcerated, and at
least one correctional facility participating in the pilot program
shall be a correctional facility at which only males are incarcerated.
(g) Certain Correctional Facilities Ineligible.--A correctional
facility which is owned or operated by a private company with which a
State, unit of local government, or the Bureau of Prisons has a
contract is ineligible to participate in the pilot program under this
section.
(h) Termination.--The pilot program shall terminate on the date
which is 2 years after the funds to carry out the pilot program are
distributed to the correctional facilities participating in the pilot
program.
(i) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the conclusion of the
pilot program under this section, the Attorney General, in consultation
with the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, shall
submit to Congress a report that contains the following information:
(1) Demographics of the eligible individuals who used the
mental health services and other social services made available
under the pilot program, including information relating to
race, ethnicity, age, types of disability, and gender.
(2) A description of the conditions at the correctional
facilities participating in the pilot program, including
information relating to the use and duration of restrictive
housing.
(3) Relating to the group of individuals described in
paragraph (1)--
(A) employment and earning statistics;
(B) information relating to housing and
homelessness rates;
(C) statistics relating to education levels;
(D) mental health treatment utilization and
adherence, and mental health outcomes;
(E) statistics relating to recidivism; and
(F) statistics relating to reincarceration.
(j) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``eligible individual'' means an individual
who is serving a term of imprisonment or who is detained
pending trial, and who has been ordered to be released from
incarceration on a date that is not more than 180 days after
the date on which the correctional facility at which the
individual is incarcerated receives funds to carry out the
pilot program under this section.
(2) The term ``restrictive housing'' means any type of
detention that involves--
(A) removal from the general inmate population,
whether voluntary or involuntary;
(B) placement in a locked room or cell, whether
alone or with another inmate; and
(C) inability to leave the room or cell for the
vast majority of the day.
(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $20,000,000 to carry out the program under this section
for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2020.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
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