This session is eligible for 1.0 Standard CLE credit and Social Work CEUs.

To receive continuing education credits, purchase the appropriate ticket and you will receive access to the password projected video online. For legal practitioners seeking CLE credit, take note of the keyword that will appear in the video. When you are done viewing the video, submit the keyword to info@mnjrc.org and you will receive the code you need to claim your CLE.

About this session:

This session was part of the MNJRC's 2023 Re-Imagining Justice Conference. To learn more about the annual conference, please visit: https://www.mnjrc.org/re-imagining-justice-conference

Dominant narratives focus on recidivism rates, rather than a broader understanding of the structural barriers that complicate efforts for returning citizens to successfully reintegrate back into society. For example, across each state there are dozens, if not hundreds of restrictions, that prevent returning citizens from fully engaging in society. This includes stipulations for accessing public services, pursuing an education, securing housing, finding employment, among other things. In addition, these dominating narratives tend to permeate the psyche of individuals who are released from incarceration in a way that creates a self-fulling prophecy: a process through which an originally false expectation leads to its own confirmation. In other words, when an individual returning citizen faces contentious push-back from the greater public because of their misbehaving background it tends to create the kind of response from ex-offenders that ultimately engenders a catch-22 scenario.

Despite the myriad organizations and programs that may exist, there is a disconnect between what is being promoted versus what is being offered. This gap in support places the onus on returning citizens to find, access, and navigate people and systems that may be unfamiliar and even intimidating after being incarcerated. Additionally, race, gender, class, age, and sexual identity demographics also pose challenges for returning citizens to build community, find support, and get their needs met, especially when thinking about reconnecting to family. In other words, the rhetoric of reentry does not match the reality of support and engagement necessary for success.

The goal of this panel is to offer a counternarrative to the realities of reentry. For far too long, reentry and reintegration methods fostered through systemic policies of state correction departments have been betrayed as the solution to recidivism. Yet, these so-called reentry policies are either ignored or become part of the problem surrounding the reasons for why so many individuals who are released from prison end up re-offending. Reentry is about more than someone being released from prison. It really is about how society creates an environment that allows for second chances and supports the rehabilitative needs of people and families impacted by incarceration. These barriers are often invisible to the broader public. Therefore, shedding light on the challenges to reintegration may offer more empathy and opportunities for people as they navigate back into society.

Presenters:

Paul Boyd, Justice-impacted presenter and full-time Philosophy student at Rutgers University

Donte Hatcher Sr., Justice-impacted presenter and Founder, Knowledge is the New Currency, Inc.

Ra Avis, Justice-impacted presenter and award-winning blogger, and published writer

Wali Palmer, Justice-impacted presenter and student at Rutgers University

In While Out: Navigating the Invisible Barriers to Reentry (CLE)