Remove Barriers to Housing, Jobs, Opportunity, and Voting

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) policy priorities are informed by conversations, meetings, and surveys with thousands of returning citizens from all backgrounds and political persuasions throughout the state. The values and priorities in this platform are a blueprint for the policies that FRRC and Florida’s community of returning citizens will work to enact this year.

Our four policy priorities for 2023 reflect many of the most important issues affecting people impacted by the criminal legal system.

Remove Barriers to Housing, Jobs, Opportunity, and Voting

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) policy priorities are informed by conversations, meetings, and surveys with thousands of returning citizens from all backgrounds and political persuasions throughout the state. The values and priorities in this platform are a blueprint for the policies that FRRC and Florida’s community of returning citizens will work to enact this year.

Our four policy priorities for 2023 reflect many of the most important issues affecting people impacted by the criminal legal system.

Why it matters: Stable housing is the foundation of successful reentry. Returning citizens without access to housing are twice as likely to reoffend than those with housing. Not having safe and stable housing also creates barriers for returning citizens and their families to access healthcare services, get and keep a job, and participate in educational programs.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that would reduce risks for landlords in leasing to people with past criminal records and give them more freedom to make choices about their property. At the local level, we are advocating to remove barriers to public and private housing and reform crime-free housing policies.

Why it matters: Stable housing is the foundation of successful reentry. Returning citizens without access to housing are twice as likely to reoffend than those with housing. Not having safe and stable housing also creates barriers for returning citizens and their families to access healthcare services, get and keep a job, and participate in educational programs.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that would reduce risks for landlords in leasing to people with past criminal records and give them more freedom to make choices about their property. At the local level, we are advocating to remove barriers to public and private housing and reform crime-free housing policies.

Why it matters: One in 3 people has a record. When we remove barriers to work, we create more pathways for businesses to fill positions in key industries. We also save taxpayer money as more people can provide for their families and avoid reincarceration. Returning citizens who find a job are significantly less likely to reoffend, and recidivism drops even more when they can find a job soon after release and their work is stable and skilled.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that removes barriers to occupational licensing, which is a requirement for nearly 30 percent of jobs in Florida. We also continue to partner with local governments to create or expand second-chance employment policies, so that returning citizens are assessed for their skills and not a label.

Why it matters: One in 3 people has a record. When we remove barriers to work, we create more pathways for businesses to fill positions in key industries. We also save taxpayer money as more people can provide for their families and avoid reincarceration. Returning citizens who find a job are significantly less likely to reoffend, and recidivism drops even more when they can find a job soon after release and their work is stable and skilled.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that removes barriers to occupational licensing, which is a requirement for nearly 30 percent of jobs in Florida. We also continue to partner with local governments to create or expand second-chance employment policies, so that returning citizens are assessed for their skills and not a label.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that would provide a pathway for currently and recently incarcerated individuals to remain or become in-state residents for tuition purposes. At the local level, we are working with prisons and higher education institutions to identify and remove barriers to enrollment in available programs.

Why it matters: While any form of education is associated with a 43-percent reduction in recidivism, incarcerated individuals in Florida have faced barriers to education programs. A 2020 study found that only 5 percent of people released annually from Florida prisons had access to education while incarcerated. In the last few years, the expansion of Pell grant funding provides more opportunity for incarcerated students to pursue an education. However, the vast majority still cannot do so because they cannot afford the cost of tuition.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that would provide a pathway for currently and recently incarcerated individuals to remain or become in-state residents for tuition purposes. At the local level, we are working with prisons and higher education institutions to identify and remove barriers to enrollment in available programs.

What we’re fighting for: Our goal is for the state to determine a returning citizen’s voter eligibility on the front end of the election process. We are pushing for these determinations to be made by the Division of Elections and for returning citizens to get an official answer on their voter eligibility within a set timeframe. We are also fighting for returning citizens who are told they are eligible to vote and who do so to have legal protection.

Why it matters: Florida law requires returning citizens to pay all of the fines, fees, and restitution associated with their sentence before they are eligible to vote. But there is no statewide database or one-stop system in place for individuals to know whether they are eligible. Several different state agencies conduct their own independent investigations, which can take months or even years, and some returning citizens have faced arrest and prosecution for acting on the information they were given about their voter eligibility. Everyone deserves clarity and assurances on whether they are legally allowed to vote.

What we’re fighting for: Our goal is for the state to determine a returning citizen’s voter eligibility on the front end of the election process. We are pushing for these determinations to be made by the Division of Elections and for returning citizens to get an official answer on their voter eligibility within a set timeframe. We are also fighting for returning citizens who are told they are eligible to vote and who do so to have legal protection.

Why it matters: Stable housing is the foundation of successful reentry. Returning citizens without access to housing are twice as likely to reoffend than those with housing. Not having safe and stable housing also creates barriers for returning citizens and their families to access healthcare services, get and keep a job, and participate in educational programs.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that would reduce risks for landlords in leasing to people with past criminal records and give them more freedom to make choices about their property. At the local level, we are advocating to remove barriers to public and private housing and reform crime-free housing policies.

Why it matters: One in 3 people has a record. When we remove barriers to work, we create more pathways for businesses to fill positions in key industries. We also save taxpayer money as more people can provide for their families and avoid reincarceration. Returning citizens who find a job are significantly less likely to reoffend, and recidivism drops even more when they can find a job soon after release and their work is stable and skilled.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that removes barriers to occupational licensing, which is a requirement for nearly 30 percent of jobs in Florida. We also continue to partner with local governments to create or expand second-chance employment policies, so that returning citizens are assessed for their skills and not a label.

Why it matters: While any form of education is associated with a 43-percent reduction in recidivism, incarcerated individuals in Florida have faced barriers to education programs. A 2020 study found that only 5 percent of people released annually from Florida prisons had access to education while incarcerated. In the last few years, the expansion of Pell grant funding provides more opportunity for incarcerated students to pursue an education. However, the vast majority still cannot do so because they cannot afford the cost of tuition.

What we’re fighting for: At the state level, we are proposing legislation that would provide a pathway for currently and recently incarcerated individuals to remain or become in-state residents for tuition purposes. At the local level, we are working with prisons and higher education institutions to identify and remove barriers to enrollment in available programs.

Why it matters: Florida law requires returning citizens to pay all of the fines, fees, and restitution associated with their sentence before they are eligible to vote. But there is no statewide database or one-stop system in place for individuals to know whether they are eligible. Several different state agencies conduct their own independent investigations, which can take months or even years, and some returning citizens have faced arrest and prosecution for acting on the information they were given about their voter eligibility. Everyone deserves clarity and assurances on whether they are legally allowed to vote.

What we’re fighting for: Our goal is for the state to determine a returning citizen’s voter eligibility on the front end of the election process. We are pushing for these determinations to be made by the Division of Elections and for returning citizens to get an official answer on their voter eligibility within a set timeframe. We are also fighting for returning citizens who are told they are eligible to vote and who do so to have legal protection.