PRISON FELLOWSHIP: Reentry

There is little debate remaining that the United States has a significant problem with the recidivism of former prisoners. Department of Justice statistics show that one-third of released prisoners are rearrested in their first year outside prison walls. Within three years, that number jumps to 50 percent, and then to 75 percent over five years.

By the time he was 21, Jason Hernandez was already serving a life sentence in a federal prison. Arrested for running a 50-person drug distribution ring he inherited when his older brother J.J. was sent to prison, Hernandez figured he would be out and back on the streets within 24 hours.

In 1994, Congress passed a crime bill that strengthened penalties for drug offenses and earmarked billions of dollars for new prison construction. Prison populations across the country boomed as a result, with recidivism rates remaining high.  Drug offenses became the leading reason for incarceration, but prisons nationwide struggled to provide programming capable of breaking the cycle of incarceration, release, and rearrest.  

Searching for employment can be a frustrating and difficult experience even in the best of situations. There is always the challenge to present oneself in the most positive light, and assure the employer that you can be an asset to their business or organization.

Rhonda Bear knows the challenges that women who have been incarcerated face as they attempt to reintegrate into society.

A former prisoner herself, Bear was fortunate to have received support and encouragement from Eileen, a volunteer who encouraged her and nurtured her Christian faith while she was still in prison.

John Jennings stood in the courtroom, looking into the eyes of the man who had murdered his son. This man had been his son’s friend, but one night, this “friend” took John’s son into the woods, demanded his money, and shot him.

The Albuquerque Business First journal recently asked its readers a probing question—would you hire someone who had just been released from prison?

Responses were predictably varied, with many respondents answering affirmatively.  Those that did say they would hire a former prisoner typically cited the importance of second chances and a need to break the cycle of recidivism.