“What tools or resources do I need to stay on track?”
This was one of the questions posed in a daily Newsletter from Prison Professors and I thought it was so appropriate because I am really struggling with my lack of resources. A recent change in my life has necessitated a complete overhaul of my release plans. So I have to start over, from scratch.
Creating a release plan begins with the primary ingredient of a support system. Who will be there when you get out to help you face the speedbumps? The federal prison system is constantly evolving but the halfway house system is still in place, so I don’t need to be immediately worried about a residence. But I do need to worry about living in a city where there is no one I know, no one I can call who is within a thirty minute driving distance. Thus, I tried to pick cities that have friends of mine who can help me face some of those obstacles, or help me over those speedbumps.
Then I had to take my skills and turn them into job opportunities – what skills do I have that can make me marketable for an employer?
Two steps in to the creation of a new release plan, I have to start thinking about more permanent housing and other resources for a successful transition. However, the way federal prison is designed, I must speak with a Re-Entry Affairs Coordinator or a Social Worker to get the assistance I need to find those resources.
After submitting multiple copouts that solicited the most minimal of responses, I’ve pivoted to enlist the help of friends on the outside to vet these resources and determine if they’re even still available. The ReEntry Center in the library has pages of resources but these lists were created in 2017. The list of transitional housing centers was created in 2021. Everyone on the outside knows all too well that many things changed during covid. A lot of businesses and non-profit organizations closed. I’ve requested updated lists but that was met with silence. I’m sure the staff are overwhelmed with their numerous responsibilities and can barely find free time. No one can blame them.
However, my release plan is essential to a successful parole packet and my parole hearing won’t wait. The Army moves in lock step and is not delayed by anyone. Not even a pandemic.
Knowing all that, I asked one of my friends to do some research and he reported back that he spent two hours on the internet looking for transitional housing and left that search thoroughly frustrated. As a civilian who doesn’t do that type of research, I am not surprised that he spent long hours looking fruitlessly. I wish I didn’t have to ask him for this type of help.
This brings me to the answer for the question posed in the Newsletter, “What tools or resources do I need to stay on track?” I need a Re-Entry Affairs Coordinator who is readily accessible or who can call the inmates to their office to assist them. After explaining the reasons for my requests, I would have thought she’d do just that: put me on her appointment list and bring me to her office to dig into the issues I need to address. If the BOP cannot provide enough reentry assistance to the inmates who are repeatedly asking for it, what about the inmates who don’t even know to ask or what they are in need of for a successful reentry?
The alternative to a Re-entry Affairs Coordinator is limited access for inmates to the internet or information regarding jobs and housing for ex-felons. While in Waseca, there was a kiosk in the ReEntry Center that would allow the inmates to input a zip code and then give info about jobs in the surrounding area. Even that would be a bigger benefit to me than a staff member who can’t/won’t help me. Or info but no way to communicate with the employer/housing options. I am faced with writing letters that may or may not ever get answered because most all communication in the world is done by email or phone. The time/ability to write letters back and forth is so severely limited that it can be considered statistically insignificant. How else can an inmate communicate with future employers or stakeholders?
This is a frustrating obstacle that will require a lot of creativity and persistence to overcome. I am determined not to give up. My parole packet depends on it!
