A felony conviction shouldn’t be a sentence to starvation  

Since 1996, people with a federal or state felony drug conviction have been permanently banned from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

We both are survivors of America’s criminal justice system.  

We both received felony drug convictions, served our time, have jobs, support our families and have begun rebuilding our lives. We have worked tirelessly to achieve our goals.  

Upon release, we shared a common goal of pursuing a quality job that would allow us and our families security, but we needed help with food security temporarily during reentry. We were lucky enough to have friends, family and other supports to ensure our success.  

But what happens when even your best efforts aren’t enough to get by?  

Since former President Bill Clinton’s welfare reform policy was enacted in 1996, people with a federal or state felony drug conviction have been permanently banned from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Twenty-seven states have rightfully opted out of this policy, but 22 other states operate under a modified ban; South Carolina is the only state with a full ban in place.  

Congress can reverse this wrong with the RESTORE Act and the must-pass Farm Bill. House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson (R-Pa.) is advocating for lifting the ban, as is Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). But the fate of the RESTORE Act is only as good as Congress’s resolve.  

The reality is, it costs more to incarcerate someone than it does to provide that same person a monthly EBT card with about $8.33 per day to feed themselves and or their family. Have you been to the grocery store recently? Think about what $8 gets you. Yet, in North Carolina, it costs $133.43 per day to incarcerate an individual in state jail, and in federal prisons it costs $116.91 on average per day.  

Not providing food benefits also has public safety consequences. Research shows that recently released individuals incarcerated for a drug offense are 10 percent less likely to recidivate when provided full access to benefits such as SNAP. A 2023 study examining the ban’s impact found that, at any given time, it increased a person’s risk of arrest by 3.2 percent for up to five years post-conviction. Not only were those blocked from accessing SNAP more likely to be re-arrested, but they were also re-arrested faster than those not disqualified simply due to the nature of their prior case.  

The SNAP drug felony ban not only punishes people long after they’ve served their sentence, but it also subjects entire families to hunger; when someone is disqualified, it lessens the benefits allotted to the entire family. Two-thirds of SNAP participants are in families with children, and over a third are in households with older adults or people with disabilities. This is despite that there is no evidence the SNAP drug felony ban has any public safety or crime deterrent value.  

According to a recent Capital B article, “From arrest to conviction, it may be virtually impossible for a person accused of a crime to digest the more than 40,000 forms of collateral consequences that may pop up at some point in their life if a jury renders a guilty verdict or a plea is negotiated with prosecutors.” Food insecurity should not be one of those consequences. 

Congress can reverse this wrong with the RESTORE Act and the Farm Bill, introduced in the House just a few weeks ago and expected in the Senate soon. 

After serving 34 years in prison, Eddie Smith started his own business. He also works for a major beverage company since obtaining his CDL license in 2023. He is a member of the Center for Employment Opportunity, where he sits on their policy committee.  

A passionate advocate for returning citizens, Yasmeen Covington joined the Center for Employment Opportunity in 2022. After graduating from the center's policy committee, she honed her public speaking skills, leveraging her voice to raise awareness and enact change. She has a goal of launching her own cleaning business.