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July 11, 2006
NY Times Editorial: "Ex-Prisoners and Port Security"
July 11, 2006
Editorial, NY Times
Ex-Prisoners and Port Security
With corrections costs spiraling out of sight and more than half of inmates returning to prison soon after being released, state governments have realized that there is more to crime prevention than just locking people up — and that pushing ex-offenders into the streets without jobs contributes to recidivism. An advisory group created by the Council of State Governments drove home this point recently when it recommended that states and the federal government strike down laws barring ex-offenders from occupations that have nothing to do with their crimes or even with public safety.
That is important to remember in the context of battling terrorism. Rules for screening port workers, for instance, rightly would include barring people who are judged to be “terrorism security risks.” But the Transportation Security Administration has included prior convictions for acts of “dishonesty’’ or “misrepresentation.” That could easily be interpreted to cover the overwhelming majority of people released from prison each year, even those who wrote bad checks.
Bad-check writers might reasonably be excluded from working in banks. But this offense should not be disqualifying for, say, port laborers who have gone on to live crime-free lives. Supporters of the pending rules say that anyone screened out could appeal. But an appeals process that could ensnare hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens would hardly be expeditious — or even fair.
The rules have been criticized as overly broad by legislators from both parties. The T.S.A. should take the hint and revise this — and other screening schemes — so that they conform more closely to what Congress intended when it ordered up the new standards.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
Posted by lois at July 11, 2006 09:38 AM