Group protests lifetime benefit ban for drug felons

In September 2006, Tony Smith was released from Putnamville Correctional Facility after serving three years of a six year sentence.\nHe was charged and went to jail for dealing look-alike drug substances – drugs made to look like crack cocaine, among other things.\nNow out on parole Smith is trying to rebuild his life.\nBut that hasn’t been easy for Smith because of the current federal ban denying those convicted of drug offenses financial aid.\nAll convicted drug felons in Indiana are automatically denied welfare benefits for life under this law, which has been in effect since 1996, according to a statement from the group.\nOn Sunday, at the auditorium of the Monroe County Public Library, the volunteer-based group Citizens for Effective Justice hosted a forum which included speakers who discussed the federal ban.\nThe ban prevents drug felons from receiving food stamps along with any other government assistance for life.\nBruce Bundy, the group’s director of public information, and the rest of CEJ hope a letter-writing campaign will prompt lawmakers to lift the ban entirely and allow convicted drug felons a second chance.\nWhen released from prison, these felons have to start over with little money and the possibility of having no home to live in, depending on their relationship with family and friends, Bundy said.\nSmith said that when he was released from jail, he received a $75 dollar check from the government.\nHe was able to find shelter with friends, but was not allowed to move back in with his mom and sister because the apartment complex did not allow felons to live there, he said.\n“We pick out a group and we are condemning them to a life sentence,” said Hal Taylor, president of CEJ. “How can this happen in this nation?”\nHe said supporters of the ban usually say the offenders might be irresponsible and use the money provided by the government to “revert back to their drug habits.” Other ban supporters voice concern that the problem isn’t in the hands of the public and it’s the problem of the offenders.\nThe group’s secretary, Vid Beldavs, said these felons are being punished even though addiction is a treatable medical problem. In order to change the law, Beldaus said that the group is working to change this ban in Bloomington and then the state of Indiana.\n“We don’t want to be the last state to lift the federal ban,” Beldavs said. He said of the 38 states with partial lifts, only 18 have fully lifted the ban.\nWork is being done inside jails to help people with addiction problems so when they get out they can have a chance at getting back on their feet, he said.\nSmith said that it’s been difficult for him to find a job, but he now works full-time at a telemarketing agency.\nBundy said that the ban doesn’t apply to other felons such as rapists or child pornographers, and that when people get out of prison and there is no support available, these people are forced to return to a life of crime.\n“Everyone needs a second chance,” Smith said.