Catholics are responsible to fight for food justice and food stamps for the previously-incarcerated

Recently, hyper-incarceration and the criminal justice system in America have received greater attention as an issue of moral significance among Catholics and people of all faiths.  This year, the Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana is hosting an incarceration series aimed at shedding light on the problem of hyper-incarceration and racism in the criminal justice system.  While many who are concerned with justice and equality are supportive of reforming the criminal justice system, many factors are overlooked when examininig the rehabilitation of ex–offenders in our own communities.

In the wake of Pope Francis’s call to end hunger worldwide, a group of Notre Dame students, including myself, has begun the investigation into and an advocacy campaign for food justice in our community.  We were shocked by what we discovered in this investigation.  By US federal law, once a person is convicted of a drug offense, she is permanently banned from receiving food stamps.  While 39 states in the US have eliminated or modified this law, Indiana has not.

Denying food stamps to ex-offenders for life is not only in moral opposition to Pope Francis’ call to work for food justice across the globe, it is also counterproductive for the state.  Ex-offenders have an incredibly difficult time getting a job after being released from prison, so unless people formerly convicted of drug crimes have strong financial cushions, they struggle to make ends meet.  Nutrition is an important component of addiction recovery, and ex-offenders will often engage in other illegal activity if they cannot pay for food, increasing the system’s rates of recidivism.

This policy hurts not only ex-offenders, but also their families.  In a single-parent household in which the parent is ineligible to receive food stamps, the children also suffer under current policy, and most often these families face many financial difficulties as it is.  Notre Dame students and faculty have carried out extensive research and advocacy on this topic in the past, but thus far have been unable to convince the Indiana State Legislature to overturn or modify the federal law.  Those who control our state legislature have not made this issue a priority, but if we could bring this issue to the forefront, we could effect change.  Indiana State Senator John Broden has proposed for the second time to revise this ban, but his proposal will not be given a hearing.

As a community we have a responsibility to support those recovering from addiction and struggling to re-enter a society that is hostile to their presence.  Our faith compels us to show mercy to the offender and to advocate for access to food for every person in our community.  This is why we are asking you to contact state legislators to ask for support for Indiana Senate Bill 287.  Please call Senator Broden at (800) 382-9467 and Senator Brent Steele, who opposes the bill, at 800-382-9467 to show your support for this bill.

To learn more about this issue or sign our online petition, please visit: https://sites.google.com/a/nd.edu/advocating-for-food-justice/.

 

Kaitlyn Kennedy is a sophomore pre-health and theology major with a minor in Catholic Social Tradition. Contact her at kkenne11@nd.edu.