{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://walker.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/walker-gives-opening-statement-oversight-hearing-criminal-justice-reform", "Walker Gives Opening Statement at Oversight Hearing on Criminal Justice Reform", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "NC", "Mark Walker", "W000819", "walker.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 U.S. Representative\u00a0Mark\u00a0Walker (R-N.C.) today gave the opening statement for a\u00a0Committee on Oversight and Government Reform\u00a0hearing on \"Oversight of the Bureau of Prisons and Inmate Reentry.\" Walker has made criminal justice reform a legislative\u00a0priority, calling for Congress to act swiftly on the issue, and forging coalitions across the aisle, including with the Congressional Black Caucus.\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\u201cFamilies are the building blocks of communities,\u201d Walker said at the hearing. \u201cIt is hard to imagine anything more disruptive to a family than losing a parent or spouse to incarceration.\" \u201cRedemption has always been an American ideal,\u201d Walker added. \u201cWe need former prisoners to integrate back into society, restore stability to their families, and contribute to their communities.\"\nFollowing Walker's opening statement,\u00a0U.S. Representative\u00a0Elijah Cummings\u00a0(D-Md.) praised Walker for his work on criminal justice reform.\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\u201cCongressman Walker, I want to applaud you for what you said and what you do in this area,\u201d Cummings said. \u201cYou said some very important words. You said whatever we do with regard to these folks, it has to be real and it has to be effective.\"\nYou can watch Walker's remarks above and read the full transcript below: \"Families are the building blocks of communities.\u00a0It is hard to imagine anything more disruptive to a family than losing a parent or spouse to incarceration. To have a parent removed from your life and sent to prison must be an overwhelmingly difficult experience for both the inmate and the family. \"I can still remember as a young child, being the son of a pastor who was also a prison chaplain, still sitting on the bunks of those inmates, in many cases hearing the sad stories. \"Now, make no mistake, I firmly believe that when people break the law there must be consequences, and incarceration is often times the appropriate consequence. However, the Justice System and the Bureau of Prisons also have a responsibility to help rehabilitate that person and help that inmate have a successful reentry back into our communities. This makes sense from both a public safety perspective and one out of compassion for our fellow citizens. Because what is clear is that virtually all of the inmates in federal prison are going back to return to their communities and their families. \"When they are released, the question should be asked, will they be better, or will they be worse? You see, redemption has always been an American ideal. We need former prisoners to integrate back into society, restore stability to their families, and contribute to their communities. \"Inmate release preparation and programming is essential to developing and restoring hope.\u00a0 Hope that they will never return to prison. Hope that they will find a job. Hope that they will be able to support their family. Hope that they will build a good life after prison.\u00a0For that reason, rehabilitation and reentry efforts must be real and they must be effective. \"Three weeks ago, I spoke in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at a wonderful nonprofit organization, the Winston-Salem Prison Ministry, doing a great job. But, the Bureau of Prisons must also make successful inmate rehabilitation and reentry a priority. \"The Bureau must also evaluate its programs and reentry decisions so that their effectiveness can be measured based on evidence of success. We have got to figure out what reentry and rehabilitation strategies work best. \"Does release to a halfway house improve an inmates\u2019 chances at successful reentry? Are some Halfway houses more effective than others at assisting inmates to succeed?\u00a0Would placing more inmates directly into home confinement reduce recidivism?\u00a0Do certain education or life skills programs tend to lead to a more successful inmate reentry?\u00a0 \"These are all questions I look forward to discussing today. I believe that evidence based assessments are essential to determine what programs work well at reducing recidivism and what programs simply do not work well.\u00a0 \"I am grateful for all the witnesses here today. I appreciate your expertise. Reducing recidivism and improving inmate reentry services is a challenge, but it is one we must all be committed to achieving.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://walker.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/walker-gives-opening-statement-oversight-hearing-criminal-justice-reform"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4420428778976202, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}