Last week, the Grassroots Advocacy Class traveled to Jefferson City to attend a hearing for HB 2751. HB 2751, if passed, would allow those with prior drug felonies to receive SNAP benefits. Right now, drug felonies are the only felonies with a lifetime ban, meaning even if someone is income eligible for SNAP, they are ineligible if they have a drug felony on their record. HB2751 addresses systemic disparities in food insecurity that are increasingly affecting women and their children. As a former public health professional, I’ve recognized that reducing food insecurity by enabling low-income households to purchase food is essential to address food security, a social determinant of health. Access to nutritious food shapes long-term health outcomes, such as reducing the likelihood of health problems related to a poor diet and thereby reducing hospital admissions and lowering health care costs among low-income populations. As the bill progresses through the house, the following is written testimony I submitted in support of HB2751.
—
The MO House of Representatives should vote to pass HB2751 and lift the SNAP drug felony ban. Formerly incarcerated individuals are twice as likely to experience food insecurity. A 2017 study found that formerly incarcerated individuals with drug offences who had full access to SNAP benefits had a lower chance of returning to prison than those who did not have access to SNAP benefits. Upon release, drug felonies are the only felonies banned from receiving SNAP benefits.
Eliminating the SNAP drug felony ban has the potential to reduce the number of incarcerated individuals in Missouri prisons. Missouri has a higher per capita incarceration rate than the national average. Drug offenses account for a significant portion of Missouri’s incarcerated population.
When given full access to SNAP benefits, the likelihood of an individual returning to prison is reduced. Reducing food scarcity allows those re-entering the community to focus on critical aspects for re-entry, such as securing employment, housing, and support for conditions like substance use disorders, thereby reducing the likelihood of arrest for a repeat offense. The drug felony ban continues to punish drug offenders even after their debt has already been paid to society. Missouri can reduce its recidivism rate by eliminating this SNAP drug felony ban. Ultimately, Missouri taxpayers bear the cost when an individual re-enters the justice system.
Food security is critical to the family and household of the formerly incarcerated individual. Specifically, women incarcerated in Missouri are more likely to be incarcerated for drug offenses than men and more likely to have a child under 18. Families share food, reducing the number of people in a household who have access to SNAP reduces the food available to the entire household.
Families that participate in SNAP have children who are less likely to be underweight, have developmental delays, and be in poor health compared to children in families with low incomes who do not participate in SNAP. Beyond health outcomes, compared to low-income children who do not receive SNAP benefits, children whose families receive SNAP do better in school, and as adults, become more economically self-sufficient. Eliminating the SNAP drug felony ban would allow families whose households would otherwise be eligible for SNAP have full access to the food security they need to thrive and be healthy.
This blog post was authored by SLU Law and Grassroots Advocacy student Amanda Monroy.
