After years of deliberations, drafts, and debates, the so-called Second Chance Act was finally signed into law by President Bush last Wednesday.

The act is an ammendment to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, which was started to curb the illegal trafficking and use of handguns in the United States, inspired in part by the assasination of John F. Kennedy.

How are they related? For starters, the prison system is not working. The recidivism rate -- the frequency with which prisoners return to jail after being freed -- has skyrocketed in recent decades. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 95 percent of all state prisoners will be released--and half of these individuals are expected to return to prison within three years for committing a new crime or violating the conditions of their release.

This cycle of recidivism not only compromises public safety, but also increases taxpayer spending. In 1980, the US prison population was barely over half a million; since then, it's risen 400% to 2.2 million. Likewise, the cost of our penal system in the early 1980s was $36 billion per year; today it's $200 billion. A recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts showed that taxpayers are expected to pay as much as $27.5 billion on new prison construction alone over the next five years if current federal, state, and local policies do not change.

Moreover, if we're not rehabilitating and helping our prisoners, how can we expect to control crime and make our streets safer?

This bill suggests that our federal government is finally taking responsibility for the 700,000 men and women being released from prisons each year. Because if it doesn't, the 40-year-old Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act will become even more antiquated and out-of-touch than it already is.

The new bill also acknowledges that the problem is systemic, and solving systemic problems necessitates deeper, more holistic initiatives.

As such, Second Chance Act will provide for community and faith-based organizations to deliver mentoring and transitional services to individuals returning to their communities from jails and prisons. It will also help connect individuals released from jails and prisons to mental health and substance abuse treatment, expand job training and placement services, and facilitate transitional housing and case management services.