Towards Successful Re-entry
Up until this day we in the United States hold the records of the heights incarceration rates in the world. Rates that no longer can be justified as social or economic benefits. With millions of people behind bars, the consequences of unsuccessful reentry go beyond just affecting the individual. Reflecting on the 57.7 billion US dollars that were spent on correctional facilities in 2016, frequently taxpaying members of society are supporting a broken system that continues to set ex-felons up to fail after they have been released from prison. With this website I hope to provide evidence and its consequences for public policy as well as to inform a large and reflective public debate about the reconsideration of policies. When our already existing policies are causing restrictions on needed services and contradicting the acts applied to expand reentry services, a change must be made. Without regulations on federal and state policies, we are currently living with reentry services which ability to foster behavioral health and community reintegration is limited. When a minor criminal record is enough to create long-lasting barriers and extensive collateral consequences, we reach the stage in which we are in desperate need of altering the focus of our current criminal justice system from reincarceration to successful re-entry into society.[1]
My name is Aminata Camara, and I am a first-year History/Pre-Law major at Maryville University. With this project/website I aim to convince legislators into taking action, but also to spread awareness about both statistics and studies regarding reincarceration, and re-entry. As an upcoming lawyer and frequently paying tax member of society, I regard this project as a future investment. It is a project that allows me to exanimate not only the economic aspects of our recovery action and policies but also the social injustice it causes ex-offenders and our community as a whole. On this website, you as a reader will be introduced to primary sources sharing their experience with re-entering society after being released from prison. You will also be able to find data and statistics regarding this issue.
