The Challenges of Reentry - Basic Needs
This first Blog is about the challenges of reentry, and it outlines the basic needs of persons returning from prison to the community. Subsequent Blogs will delve deeper into each area to examine both problems and opportunities. These will seek a deeper understanding of the matters at hand and find an appreciation for the efforts of Amiracle4sure, Inc.
At the outset, a person released from prison has immediate needs for transportation, food, clothing, personal identification, and some minimal amount of cash on hand. Before the first day is through, they will also need a place to shelter. These are the sorts of things that a family could provide. Many released prisoners, however, don’t have the luxury of a supportive family. Many ex-offenders have estranged family ties. Worse still, many have a dysfunctional family that was a gateway to crime and/or substance abuse. Without some kind of support network, the returning citizen is vulnerable to victimization and/or opportunity for crime.
The basic needs are not only immediate, but they are also intertwined in complex ways. Housing is a fundamental need. If one has worries about where they might sleep tonight, it’s not likely they can concentrate on seeking a job or pursuing education. Furthermore, without an address, it’s not likely that they could be hired anyway. On the other hand, without a steady income, it’s not likely that one can get a signed lease. In addition, without transportation, one cannot get from home to work in a reliable way. In the meantime, one must eat, launder clothes, get personal identification, and take care of things like debt, restitution, and parole stipulations.
Employment is the key driver for the ability to meet most of the basic needs of life in the community. It provides the steady income required to get along. It also provides self-efficacy and self-sufficiency to support oneself without reliance on family or handouts, or needing to resort to criminal activities. Furthermore, employment often provides a new social network that supports positive behavior and serves as a protective factor against future criminal activity.
Obtaining employment, however, represents one of the greatest barriers to reintegrating into the community. The majority of ex-offenders have limited employment skills and experience, plus an incomplete education. Some have these things but lack the proper credentials to prove it. As noted above, the other basic needs put a drag on a job applicant’s readiness for employment. And not least, the “stigma” of incarceration puts a strain on a job applicant’s appeal to some employers. Indeed, certain careers may formally prohibit hiring persons with criminal histories.
All the basic needs above pertain to “external” factors. But “man cannot live on bread alone.” Each of us have deeper “internal” issues about who we are and the meaning of life. For those of us who don’t have pressing needs of external factors, we can contemplate our internal circumstances with some leisure and thoughtfulness. The ex-offender has much to contemplate, but little leisure for thoughtfulness. Nevertheless, the task of sorting out these internal issues remains compelling and essential to one’s well-being. We noted above how important (but lacking) a supportive family could be. That goes for both the external factors AND especially the internal issues. In this regard, Amiracle4sure is somewhat of a surrogate family for ex-offenders. We provide for both the basic external needs and the deeper internal needs.
