States place a variety of controls/restrictions on former felons. Discuss several of these restrictions and the impact of such policies on prisoner reentry

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Reentry problems are related to many aspects from the very nature of the prison experience itself to the releasee's own lifelong personal deficits. Some parolees have a long history of drug abuse, antisocial personality, and childhood or young adulthood with family dysfunction. Some ex-inmates may feel compelled to prove that the prison experience has not changed them. Additional, reentry risks can be tied to changes in sentencing laws. Inmates may be discouraged from seeking involvement in rehabilitation programs because they no longer affect the chance of parole, which means fewer inmates leaving prison have participated in programs to address deficiencies in the areas of employment, education, and substance abuse. Prison also takes a heavy economic toll on former inmates. Most people leave prison with no savings, no immediate entitlement to unemployment benefits, and few employment prospects. A prison experience locks people into the lowest rung of the economic ladder and significantly reduces their changes for upward economic mobility. Additionally, inmates with strong social support and close family ties have a better chance of making it on the outside. Poor inmates and their families may be no longer welcome in subsidized public housing due to the consequence of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's one strike and you're out policy. Without government subsidies, former inmates' families may not have the economic means to find affordable housing. Ex-inmates may also find that going straight is an economic impossibility as many employers are reluctant to hire people who have served time. Research shows that former inmates who gain and keep meaningful employment are more likely to succeed on parole.