Even with all the structural barriers that formerly incarcerated people face, there are stories of hope and resilience. This is not to say that re-entry is an easy or fair process. As it is discussed in part one of this piece, written by Stephen Hicks, people face many barriers when they are out of prison. Together with the eye opening statistics and trends presented there, it is important to also share the stories of individuals who have lived through this, to better relate to them and understand that these are people, human beings, with families, dreams, and life goals. Secondly, to start questioning and reflecting on how we perpetuate this unfair system, but most importantly, how we can contribute to building less racist and discriminatory systems from our own spaces: our communities, neighborhoods, businesses, schools and work spaces.
Through the work with HIPS we have the privilege of working with different community members in DC that have shared their stories with us, of how re-entry looked and felt like for them, the obstacles they faced and still face, what support networks they had, and what helped them start over. We also talked about important topics related to race politics in the U.S. and the region, programs in prison and their effectiveness, fatherhood and family, and how gentrification can change the face of a city into the unfamiliar.
These four men shared their stories with us, and most of them gave me feedback on what to add and edit. We have changed their names for confidentiality purposes. These are some of their lived experiences.
“You can start again if you want to. But it requires a lot of work”. – Harry
For Harry, a man in his 60’s who served time almost twenty years ago, getting back to his life after prison was possible, but he had to work hard. For him, having a trade was a really useful way of starting work again independently. But in his opinion, you have to be open to whatever sort of work you are able to access, you can’t be picky. “If it’s working in a McDonalds, then that’s what it is. You can start there”. Family is very important, it is what keeps you grounded, and helps you remember what you’re here for. For him, being able to see his grandkids grow is invaluable. I asked him if he would be willing to share his story with other formerly incarcerated individuals, especially people who just got out. He said that those types of spaces are particularly important, not only to share your own story, but to let others know that it is possible to restart. After that he asked me where I was from, and we talked about regional politics, civil wars and popular movements in Central America. I saw him recently at the office, and he asked me about that education class I had talked about, and to not forget that he’s interested in being part of it.
“Good deeds are written on water, but bad ones are written on brass.” – Ed
Ed served his time, “but you keep serving after you’re out. Our life is frowned upon because you have history”, he said. His uncle once told him that good deeds are written on water, but bad ones are written on brass. “So you know what that means, you have to be careful with what you do, and also think how to spend your time doing good things”. For him, it was key to have his family, and now that he has a son, he wants to be there for him, see him grow and be part of his life. He recently lost his father, so being there for his own son has a deeper meaning. We have talked about baking, about family, and relationships. He expressed how finding a good woman that loves him just the way he is has meant a lot to him, especially after not having a good experience with his son’s mother. He wants to go back to school, and he is only one year away from getting his degree in hospitality and management. He is looking for work, going to different support meetings, and doing things to keep his mind active. In one of our conversations he said he was going to enter a detox program, “I’m ready, I’ve done it once and I want to get clean again. I can do this”. Drugs and prison don’t define who he is, or what he wants to do. The last time we talked, he said the program is going well, and he’s taking it day by day, pushing forward in the midst of adversity. “You can’t be caught up and be mad at the world or society. It’s a process, and you find the positive every day”. Although it took time and effort to start over again once he was out, he is very determined. At one point in our conversation he said “I want to do things on my own, be my own”.
“This city looks very different from how I remember it”. – Mike
After serving time in different prisons, Mike finished his sentence and finally got back to DC. As we were standing outside the HIPS van and looking at a view of the city, he expressed how different everything is now. The city has changed, there are a lot of new buildings, some neighborhoods are gone, and while he was in prison, his parents passed away, and so did his twin brother and his younger sister. He wasn’t able to attend any of the funerals, or say good bye to any of them. He has no family left in a city that is unfamiliar in itself. He had just been released, two weeks before we were having this conversation, and he expressed how disoriented he felt in general, but most urgently, how cold and hungry. He also shared some of the most difficult, life threatening situations he went through while in prison, looking emptily into the horizon of the changing city. He was at risk of exposure to HIV and Hepatitis C. With no ID, work, food or housing (because he won’t go back to the shelters where you get sick easily), he said the winter would be hard. We have not seen him since we last spoke, and it is really hard to imagine how he is doing and dealing with all of this, all at once.
“I’m doing positive things. I’m done with doing negative”. – James
I met James at the office one day when he came to ask if we were going to offer focus groups for men (that day there were focus groups with women that were carried out by the students of a local university). I explained that they wanted to talk to women specifically, to which he responded, “I understand. But we also have stuff to talk about, you know. As men we go through stuff too”. And so we sat down to just talk about life. He served time for 15 years and has been out for almost three years now. Although he had no family to count on when he was done with prison, he had the support of friends that are like family, and this was really important. At the same time, he had to change certain habits, and “get away from negative vibes”. He’s trying to do positive things now, and he learned the power of this when he was in prison, participating in a program to talk to foster kids about decision making, responsibilities and life plans. The most important thing he transmitted to them was that they are not alone. “It’s like my epilepsy. I thought I was the only one. But knowing there are others out there struggling with this same thing helps me. And that’s what I wanted to tell kids, that I was a foster kid too and that they’re not alone and that they don’t have to end up in prison”. He wants to create an NGO one day that provides a space for people coming out of prison to work, live and save money, “because those are the hardest things to do once you are out, and how can you get a house if no one wants to give you work?” He is currently looking for a job, and in the meantime, wants to volunteer with HIPS collecting used needles and picking them up from different spaces in the city, and probably starting a group for men to have a space to talk with each other.
From these four conversations and stories, there are a lot of intertwined issues that need to be addressed if we want to really start transforming the current criminal system. What Harry shared is true; there is a lot of effort to be put into getting on your feet again. However, job opportunities should not start and end at McDonalds. This is not a functional system. Recidivism is more probable if there are many obstacles to accessing employment, housing and health. Re-entry should not be only an individual effort; there should be different ways of supporting people “re-entering society” that come from society, governments and institutions themselves. The four clients that we talked to openly expressed their opinions about how to make some things better, related to employment, shelters and housing, and others. If were able to put ourselves in their position and see humanity in their situation, maybe we can start thinking of ways of to both not reproduce this system and address the basic needs people have when they are out of prison. Listening to people with these experiences and tapping into their wisdom would be a good place to start.
Read “The Chain Remains: Part (1)” by Stephen Hicks!