Federal Interagency Reentry Council in the United States

Presidential Memoranda

Presidential Memoranda regarding the Promoting Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals (April 29, 2016):

(a) There is hereby established the Federal Interagency Reentry Council (Reentry Council), to be co-chaired by the Attorney General and the Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. In addition to the Co-Chairs, the Reentry Council shall include the heads of:

(i) the Department of the Treasury;

(ii) the Department of the Interior;

(iii) the Department of Agriculture;

(iv) the Department of Commerce;

(v) the Department of Labor;

(vi) the Department of Health and Human Services;

(vii) the Department of Housing and Urban Development;

(viii) the Department of Transportation;

(ix) the Department of Energy;

(x) the Department of Education;

(xi) the Department of Veterans Affairs;

(xii) the Department of Homeland Security;

(xiii) the Small Business Administration;

(xiv) the Office of Management and Budget;

(xv) the Council of Economic Advisers;

(xvi) the Office of National Drug Control Policy;

(xvii) the Office of Personnel Management;

(xviii) the Corporation for National and Community Service; and

(xix) such other executive departments, agencies, and offices as the Co-Chairs may designate.

(b) The Co-Chairs may also invite representatives of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Trade Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Social Security Administration to participate in the activities of the Reentry Council to the extent that such activities are relevant to their respective statutory authorities and legal obligations.

(c) As appropriate, the Co-Chairs may invite relevant representatives of the judicial branch, including representatives of the United States Probation and Pretrial Services System and Federal Public Defender Organizations, to attend and participate in meetings of the Reentry Council.

(d) The Reentry Council shall work across executive departments, agencies, and offices (agencies) to:

(i) within 100 days of the date of this memorandum, develop and present a Federal strategic plan to make communities safer by reducing recidivism and victimization; assist individuals who return from prison or jail to become productive citizens; and save taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and collateral costs of incarceration;

(ii) identify, implement, and promote evidence-based research, policies, strategies, and programming to support successful reentry and reintegration, including improved access to criminal justice data for research and evaluation purposes;

(iii) promote regional partnerships among Federal agencies and with State, tribal, and local governments and organizations to advance local reentry and reintegration efforts;

(iv) identify ways to improve the accuracy of records of arrest, criminal adjudication, or conviction (criminal records); and

(v) identify and address unwarranted barriers to successful reentry.

(e) The Reentry Council shall engage with Federal, State, local, and tribal officials, including corrections officials, as necessary to carry out its objectives. The Reentry Council shall engage with nongovernmental organizations, including those representing or composed of formerly incarcerated individuals, exonerees, victims, and criminal justice agencies, to ensure that these stakeholders have the opportunity to offer recommendations and information to the Reentry Council.

(f) The Attorney General shall designate an Executive Director, who is a full-time officer or employee of the Federal Government, to coordinate the day-to-day functions of the Reentry Council.

(g) The Co-Chairs shall convene a meeting of the Reentry Council at least once per year.