The material you reviewed this week demonstrates the importance of outreach to people released from prison or county jails. For many people, release dates can be daunting, with nowhere to go, little to no money or resources, and a deep fear of returning to incarceration. In several instances, other issues like mental and behavioral health are not always addressed at the time of reentry (Martin & Garcia, 2022). This assignment asks you to consider what a person might need when they are ready to reenter society after serving time in county jail or prison. What resources would someone need? Consider everyday needs like groceries, transportation, and somewhere to sleep every night. This assignment is meant to have you think deeply about things many people take for granted but are huge challenges for people in the carceral system.
Chapters 4, 9, and 13 from your course textbook, Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action
This week’s A Sociological Exploration: Social Problems and Globalization section
The articles:
Formerly Incarcerated Duo Share Their Successes in the Trucking Industry with a Podcast and Online CourseLinks to an external site.
Reproductive Healthcare Behind Bars Was Dismal Even Before Roe EndedLinks to an external site.
Cuyahoga County Jail Shows People the Door, Offers Little Else to Aid ReentryLinks to an external site.
The webpage:
Describe at least three challenges facing people recently released from prison or jail.
Discuss the social, cultural, and economic benefits that can occur when there is support for people recently released from prison or jail.
Examine what resources are needed to support people recently released from prison or jail.
Explain how policies in your state create barriers for people recently released from prison or jail to engage fully in their community.
Define what is needed for people to be successful upon release from the carceral system.
Justify how communities might benefit from supporting people returning to their neighborhoods after serving time in prison or jail, using your informed opinion.
Explain what solutions families need to reunite after incarceration.
Propose a local policy solution to address the challenge of reintegration after the incarceration experience, specifically for BIPOC, women, trans, and nonbinary people who have served time.
Using the sociological perspective, defend the impact of this policy proposal in your community. Will people support it? Why or why not?
Explain the need for a support kit for formerly incarcerated people.
Provide resources for job searches, housing, food, and other basic needs.
Compile a list of educative support, including where people might get a GED, find certificates for trades, and apply to college.
Develop a list of free or reduced-priced counseling support, including 12-step meetings (AA and NA), hotlines, and family therapists. You might look at local nonprofits or churches.
Reflect on the experience in putting the support kit together. After completing this assignment, what did you learn?
The Community Solution to Gang Violence: A Collaborative Community Process and Evaluation FrameworkLinks to an external site.
