Bush To Sign Prisoner Re-entry Bill: Davis

The White House has told the office of Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) that President Bush will sign the Second Chance Act on Wednesday, Tumia Romero, Davis' spokeswoman, told the Crypt. The new law would authorize money for prisoner re-entry programs and otherwise seek to cut the prison population. A recent study found that more than one of every 100 adult Americans is behind bars. It also found that roughly one of every nine African American men between 20 and 34 is locked up.

The law will also include a pilot program that makes way for the early release of prisoners over the age of 65 who have served the greater of 75 percent of their sentence or 10 years. The bill was led in the House by Davis and in the Senate by Joe Biden (D-Del.).