To amend title 18, United States Code, to divert certain parents of minor children, expectant parents, and other caregivers from incarceration and into comprehensive programs providing resources, services, and training to those individuals.
The FAMILIES Act creates a new sentencing alternative designed to keep parents, expectant parents, and caregivers out of prison by diverting them into comprehensive community-based programs instead. Under this law, federal judges must consider whether individuals with significant caregiving responsibilities would be better served by participating in the FAMILIES Program rather than serving probation or prison time, taking into account factors like their family ties, risk of harm, and rehabilitation potential. The program provides participants with education, job training, parenting classes, substance abuse and mental health treatment, housing assistance, and help enrolling in social programs like SNAP and WIC. The bill appropriates $100 million for fiscal year 2024 to establish and operate the program, an additional $20 million in grants to states replicating similar programs, and $5 million for judge training on trauma-informed decision-making and child development. Young offenders under 21 who complete the program successfully can have their records expunged, meaning the arrest and conviction are erased.
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