A report published today by the Sentencing Project, “Learning life all over again: Reentry after long-term imprisonment,” highlights the experiences and challenges of 33 formerly incarcerated people released after decades of imprisonment in California, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington, D.C, as they attempt to rebuild their lives.
Re-entering society after long-term imprisonment is a complex, overwhelming process, and presents significant difficulty to manage even with robust resources, which rarely exist for most incarcerated people returning to their communities. Individuals face profound, interconnected obstacles including securing housing and employment due to stigma and a criminal record, adapting to rapid technological advancements, managing mental health or substance abuse, and navigating strained family relationships. Many are released with limited financial resources, often less than $200, compounding the challenges of finding stability and increasing the risk of high recidivism rates.
Most notably, lack of or underemployment presents the biggest barrier to successful community reintegration. A criminal record, limited education, and lack of recent job experience create significant barriers to employment, with many formerly incarcerated persons less than $15,000 in their first year, a number that’s far from a livable wage anywhere in the United States. Adjacent to this, recently released incarcerated people often struggle with modern technology (smartphones, online applications, internet banking) that is essential for everyday life and job hunting.
Without a livable income comes the inability to secure housing. Individuals face extreme difficulties in securing safe, permanent housing due to a lack of resources, potential landlord discrimination, and restrictions on public housing.
From the report, on a self-reported measurement of well-being, 45% were “thriving,” 33% “surviving,” and 21% “suffering.” Their stories give voice to and make visible the long and often challenging path to prepare for reentry after completing a long-term sentence; both during incarceration and as they transitioned to life outside of prison.
To illustrate the anxiety about coming home to an uncertain future, one participant who served 30 years in prison said: “To be honest with you, I was scared. Because I was coming to a new world, man. We talking about a long time… I was given another chance, you know, another chance to change the narrative about my life. But I was scared, man, like – and at times I’m still scared.”
From the interviews, respondents reported the following:
- Departments of Corrections routinely limited or denied access to rehabilitative programming due to long sentence lengths, which led report participants to find alternatives to support their own personal transformations.
- Departments of Corrections provided little to no meaningful assistance with reentry planning.
- Social support networks, both in and outside of prison, contributed significantly to rehabilitation and reentry progress.
- Returning home with limited financial resources created financial instability and strain for many.
- Felony probation and parole travel restrictions created obstacles to employment and building social bonds with family.
- Technology was the most discussed obstacle to navigating the world today.
You can read and download the full report, “Learning life all over again: Reentry after long-term imprisonment,” at the Sentencing Project website. The Sentencing Project advocates for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice.
