I think there is a lot you can do. The world is also increasingly normal so increasingly what you do today, what you build, what you say can reverberate not just in this room but around the world. I look forward to the impact you are going to have on women in tech and indians all over. Your work at aei is helping the world, yes it is. She has given back. I want to thank all of you for joining us and invite all of you to join me in thanking sheryl sandberg. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] sunday democratic president ial candidate Hillary Clinton speaks that the mayors conference in indianapolis. We have live coverage of her remarks beginning at 4 00 pm eastern and later cspans conversation with democratic president ial candidate bernie sanders. You can see that at 6 30 p. M. And 9 30 p. M. Eastern on cspan. This is something not only what i love to do but something that could be really different from the kinds of books that have been written in the past and a way to rethink and reevaluate who this person was, what his real significant was, what his virtues really were that made him one of the most adored and agerelated figures in American History and what were his flaws and the things that made him in many ways hated by millions of people. Sunday night and q and a, Arthur Herman looks at the life and career of Douglas Macarthur in his book Douglas Macarthur, american warrior. That is one of the things about macarthur. He saw the future more often than he saw the present. Whether it was americas role in asia, the rise of china, the split between china and the soviet union which he foresaw. Also the fate of american domestic politics. Sunday at 8 00 eastern on cspans q a. Attorney general Loretta Lynch and secretaries of labor, housing and education talk about challenges facing formerly incarcerated people when they reenter society. This is an hour. [applause] good morning, welcome to the center for American Progress. My name is carmel martin, it is my honor to welcome you to this exciting event. Our lineup today is a testament to the importance of this issue. Nearly one in three americans have criminal records which create barriers to employment, housing, education and many other pathways to opportunity. Some americans with criminal records are barred from casting a ballot denying the right to participate in our democracy. The impact of these barriers are well beyond those previously convicted of a crime. Criminal records are family sentences. Nearly half of American Children now have a parent with a criminal record. The study has shown the barriers associated with criminal records can lead to worse life outcomes. By eliminating these barriers and providing tools for people with criminal records, we can increase the likelihood they will remain crime free and we can put stability and success within reach of them and their families. We continue to raise awareness about these issues. We join groups across the political spectrum. We have been lucky to have such a steadfast partner in president obama. Over the last eight years the Obama Administration including our guests this morning has led in a new direction on criminal justice issues. Over the course of his two terms in Office President obama has done more than the past we for president s combined. In 2013 the department of justice launched the smart on crime initiative, to strengthen protection for vulnerable populations and work with local and state Law Enforcement agencies to build trust in the community and develop smarter and more efficient tools to ensure Public Safety. This morning the administration is announcing more important steps for formerly incarcerated individuals at assure a Second Chance for people with criminal records and their families but this work is far from finished. Our broken system continues to devastate communities across the country. Critical legislation remains in limbo on capitol hill. Everyday Congress Fails to take action more American Families are swept into a vicious cycle of poverty and mass incarceration. With bipartisan support on these issues, there is a unique window of opportunity to make meaningful progress and build a fairer and more effective Justice System. It is a privilege to be joined by four of the nation have strongest champions of criminal Justice Reform. Attorney general Loretta Lynch, thomas perez secretary of housing and urban Development Julian castro and secretary of education john king. There leadership is criminal to the progress of the administration on these issues and we are honored to have them. The conversation will be led by daryl atkinson, advisor to the bureau of justice and a member of the Interagency Council and the first ever Second Chance fellow at the department of justice. Prior to joining doj he was senior attorney at the 7 coalition of social justice where he focused on criminal Justice Reform issues and was honored as a champion of change at the white house. We are thrilled to have all of them here. Without further ado. [applause] thank you for that warm introduction. I want to thank the center for American Progress for hosting this important conversation. It is a real experience for me, that would be an understatement. Sitting on this stage with four cabinet officials talking about issues, a real bucket list moment if you will for me. What really makes it even more surreal is 20 years ago i couldnt have envisioned having this conversation with you all. 40 years ago i was beginning to serve a 10 year sentence in the department of corrections for a firsttime nonviolent drug crime. I went into the department of corrections with a High School Diploma and came out with a High School Diploma. The state of alabama was not as progressive as other states in Postsecondary Education opportunities so i languished for 3halfmac years. I had a loving family who wrapped their arms around me, offered food, clothing and shelter to address the most immediate pressures and make some rational choices, go back to school, get my education, get my law degree, develop a practice area focused on restoration of human and civil rights of people who have been in contact with the system. Now i get to share the stage with you all. It has been a remarkable journey, but i want to emphasize that i dont consider myself exceptional at all. Pretty ordinary. Only thing that separates me from the 600,000 people i release every year from state and federal prison, the other 10 to 12 million who cycle in and out of local county jails and 70 Million People with criminal records is i had access to extraordinary opportunities. Opportunities to remake my life. What we are about to talk about today is steps your agencies are taking to expand those opportunities to more americans so we can have more success stories. Lets get to it. I start with the attorney general, my boss. We know that the integration, reduction of recidivism is a multidimensional issue. Not only do people need access to employment but they need somewhere to live. Might need identification, might need connection to Mental Health where they can stay on top of their medication. These span multiple agencies. Has reentry counsel facilitated cross Agency Collaboration . How will that continue once there are new people in the seats . Excellent question that really goes to the core of what reentry is all about. One of the things whether we are sitting at justice or working in the field have long realized when we looked at reentry was the impact of the Justice System on didnt of individuals with multifaceted and multilayered and therefore when we talk about reentry the response needed to be multifaceted and multilayered. A lot of us started out looking at these issues years ago when i was a us attorney under janet reno, a huge priority of hers. We looked at it from the position of what did the Justice Department do . There is a lot we can do but the impact of what we already set in place, incarceration and other measures extends far beyond justice. The reentry counsel has been one of the most successful collaborations in washington and i think it is because there is a group of agencies and im tremendously proud every agency on this stage is represented as well as several others that put aside their main desire to be the leader and said what can we do together . How can we look at the impact of the criminal Justice System on individuals in a multifaceted multilayered role and what can we do to impact that . What are some basic things we can do to move reentry down the line and make it real for people . It is a combination of agencies who use their policy power, the policy power and instinctive all the people who work for us. Our connections to the field. It has been a very successful collaboration. Some of the things that have come out of it are talking about barriers to reentry and the logistical issues there. With respect to finding a job. Everyone agrees finding a job is one of the highest barriers to successful reentry, someone being able to truly come home and reintegrate in society. When you talk to individuals one of the main complaints people have. We had this discussion for years is the inability to get in the door. The inability even to get the interviews sometimes. Maybe well get the job, maybe you wont but the ability to compete for it. In order to compete you have to be allowed in the arena. You have to be allowed in the room. The eeoc has proposed an initiative that the federal government has been tremendously proud to lead on, that is something that will be adopted not only statewide but throughout a number of industries. A number of industries have signed a pledge to do so. That has been tremendously helpful. Gathering all of that has invigorated the discussion. It certainly has given me tremendous inspiration. I talked to secretary perez about how we are going to work for people. I talked to secretary castro and king about housing and education and the things you have done over the years, looking at these issues. My predecessor, ag holder wrote to every state governor and asked them to think about collateral consequences of incarceration. I was tremendously proud to write a letter to all the governors during reentry week and say it is a state identification issue. The reentry counsel outlined as a real problem and through a collaborative process the way to do that is one of those things where you think why didnt people think of this before, one of the things once it is up and running is so successful and the idea that what we need to do is get federal prison ids exchanged for state ids or let them be part of the process of a state id but that is a tremendous barrier to reentry. We dont have identification and cant get into a government building, you cant get government services, you cant even get a library card if you cant show who you are or where you live. All the Little Things people take for granted generate tremendous obstacles for people coming out of the criminal Justice System. In particular individuals who may not have been incarcerated but have been in the system in some way, left visible. It is a pervasive problem. We are getting a very positive response on the issue of allowing federal ids to be used, state ids or part of the process, something we are looking forward to doing more initiatives like that on is an incredibly positive collaboration. President obama made it a standing federal agency level initiative. It will live on. All of us on stage, it will live on campus, primarily because of the thought behind it are not going to be stopped. We are at a point the numbers alone tell us with the numbers of people coming out of federal prison, state prison but all those numbers are people. They represent a real person. We are ready point where many of us are going to know individuals have been in contact with the criminal Justice System through our work, through our friends, our family, and we will see firsthand the challenges that they face so i think this initiative wont stop because the thoughts behind it are not going to stop. Thank you for that. Secretary perez, part of the mission of the department of labor is frankly to put people to work, right . We know people who had contact with a, Justice System, 70 million americans, when in 3 have either an arrest or conviction Record Associated with their name and this can present tremendous challenges. What steps are the part of labor taking to make sure these people have a fresh start and get back to work . One of the best ways to reduce repetitive recidivism is get people the skills to compete when they are coming out of prison and get them a job right away. One of the major tools we use is grantmaking authority. We have been doing this in a more coordinated fashion. I think one of the things the president said from day one, some of the most challenging problems confronting america require effective and sustainable resolutions, unprecedented levels of interAgency Collaboration. We have imploded a big sandbox of opportunity. Just yesterday we announced 64 million of grants and they are going to various organizations, some very recognizable nonprofits, some are local workforce systems, Community Colleges, some are going to help adults, some will help juveniles and they are all predicated around the principle of partnership, making sure we are all in this together so we can build on models that we know already work in communities across the country to make sure people have the opportunity to succeed. Another aspect of our grandmaking is we have been going, yesterday we awarded for grants to this effect, that is to build one stop Employment Centers behind the fence. I had the privilege of serving local government in Montgomery County, maryland, one of the first in the country to have a center in the Montgomery County jail and if you talk to the warden he will tell you it was winwin when. It made us all safer because we were able to give people opportunities, you went into jail with a High School Degree and came out with a High School Degree. That is not happening in Montgomery County. Giving them access to opportunity, this program has taken off. 30 jurisdictions across the country are interested in this so our grantmaking authority has been a very important part. A bully pulpit is also important because there are so Many Employers out there who understand hiring people who have a criminal history is not an act of charity but enlightened selfinterest. Go to the largest private employer in maryland, johns hopkins, a good hospital, to state the obvious and the most prolific employer, folks with a criminal history. Ron peterson, the soontobe retiring president will tell you that it is an act of enlightened selfinterest, not an act of charity and he will tell you they have measured this, folks who have a criminal history working at hopkins stay longer. They are up and down and all around the ecosystem. Allied health prevention, all around the food chain and it is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do so a big part of what we are doing is lifting up these employers who are doing well and that in turn helps other employers who are thinking about it but they have issues and when they have questions we are always nonjudgmental. We here periodically this person has a conviction. Im a little worried about hiring him or her. We have a tool in our toolbox in the workforce to help that. A surety box, we will assure you against that risk if something happens. We dont think it will happen. The workforce system itself has built a lot of tools because i firmly believe one of the basic tenets of Workforce Development in this country is take the job seeker where you find them. We have a lot of people who have day care barriers to employment so we provide day care, transportation barriers and we need people who have a criminal history and we take them and i said this when we came in. We are a nation of Second Chances and i believe in Second Chances and i must confess that i have a serious ambivalence about the use of the term Second Chance because i have met so many people who have your story and for so many of them there wasnt the first chance. I continue to noodle over what we call this because in so many cases the work we have been able to do in Baltimore City we need to do because i meet so many people, that is what we have to do. Thank you for that. Secretary castro, you heard a Critical Role of stable and secure housing. Many People Struggle with that particularly folks who may have had Substance Abuse or Behavioral Health issues evolving into chronic homelessness and touching a number of different crises whether it is emergency rooms, psychiatric hospitals,