Starting from Scratch:
Formerly Incarcerated
& Re-Entry
How Are We Even Citizens?
• Civil Rights after Incarceration
Snapshots of Re-Entry: The Building Blocks
•
Getting ID & Other Key Documents
•
What identification (ID) documents exist, and why they are important
•
Types of ID: birth certificates, Social Security numbers (SSN) and cards, California state ID cards & California Driver
licenses, U.S. Passports, tribal ID cards, library cards, voter registration, and Selective Service registration
•
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: • ID is necessary to access public benefits and services; to apply for housing and employment;
and to enroll in school and other programs. • Basic ID is often necessary to apply for other identification documents
•
COMMON BARRIERS TO REENTRY:
•
People in reentry have only a prison/jail ID card, which is of limited use in reentry
•
People in reentry do not have the documents they need to enroll in programs and services they would otherwise qualify
for
•
People with records have Driver License holds, suspensions, and revocations, often due to court ordered debts that
they don’t have the financial means to pay back
•
Certain convictions restrict a person’s access to a U.S. passport
•
Men who were required to register with the Selective Service between ages 18 and 26 were unable to do so because
they were incarcerated, and as a result, they are barred from receiving federal financial aid until they prove the reason
why they could not register
Court Documents
• It is important to get a release signed by the court in order to obtain all
legal documents for the client
• With this release you will be able to obtain any court orders and minutes
• This will assist the client in planning for any requirements or upcoming
dates of appearance
• This can help avoid any future warrants
COMMON BARRIERS TO REENTRY
• Being on community supervision can create barriers in every aspect of a
person’s life. For example, supervision rules can affect:
• Housing: Where a person can (or can’t) live and with whom
• Employment: Work opportunities, requirements and restrictions
• Family: Legal barriers to family reunification
• Education: Restrictions and scheduling conflicts
• Basic liberties: Some (not all) constitutional rights and freedoms may be
taken away — like travel restrictions, and being subject to searches and
seizures at any time
Housing
• Different types of housing options and tips for the housing search
• Short-term vs. long-term planning for where someone can live in reentry
• Housing application process, including bans or restrictions related to past convictions
• What criminal records and other records can lawfully be accessed by governmentassisted housing providers (including Public Housing Authorities, or PHAs) vs. by private
landlords
• Joining family and friends in housing — the differing rules of government-assisted
housing providers (including PHAs) vs. private landlords
• Challenging illegal housing denials by both government-assisted housing providers
(including PHAs) and private landlords
• Maintaining (keeping) housing.
Why It’s Important
• Housing is the first thing people need when leaving prison or jail
• Shelter is a basic human need
• Having approved housing plans is often a requirement of someone’s
conditions (rules) of supervision
• Many housing-related restrictions and barriers exist
• Rates of homelessness are extremely high among people in reentry
Common Barriers to Re-Entry
• Parole / probation housing requirements and restrictions can include:
residential restrictions, a requirement to live in transitional housing, etc.
• Discrimination in private housing: Private landlords are hesitant to rent to
people with criminal records, and may engage in discrimination, sometimes
legally and sometimes in violation of fair housing law
• Discrimination in public/government-assisted housing: Criminal record
restrictions exist; some are legal, but others may be overbroad and violate fair
housing law
• Housing-related barriers to family reunification that prevent people from living
with family or friends – these exist in both private and government-assisted
housing
Public Benefits
• COMMON BARRIERS TO REENTRY:
• Some public benefits programs have restrictions and bans against people with
certain criminal convictions (but most do not)
• People may be disqualified from certain benefits based on other items in their
history, such as: open felony warrants; probation or parole violations; or
Intentional Program Violations (non-criminal violations of program rules)
• Many people do not get benefits that they can and should be getting, simply
because of myths and misinformation. Some people may not know the exact
program rules, especially new rules that have removed old drug felon bans.
Even county welfare agency workers may not apply the correct rules
Employment
• KEY TOPICS:
• Job readiness, applications, and interviewing well—presenting your best self
• Hiring incentives for employers
• People’s rights with respect to background checks, including the following topics:
• Whether and when different types of employers can ask about criminal records
• Private, commercial background checks vs. “in-house” background checks
• Errors in background checks
• Discrimination based on criminal record—legal and illegal forms of discrimination, and how to
file a complaint
• For people with disabilities, the right to ask for reasonable accommodations from employers.
Why It’s Important:
• Having or seeking employment is often a requirement of someone’s
supervision conditions
• Employment is critical for many as a source of income—which impacts
someone’s ability to afford housing; to pay for child care; to pay child support
or other court-ordered debt; to go back to school; etc.
• Employment is a key to self-efficacy, and contributing to society
• Employment can help make a person’s life more stable by providing structure
and routine
• In some cases, stable employment might be required to reconnect with
children in reentry.
Common Barriers to Re-Entry
• Background checks: Criminal history information is readily available from many sources
• Background checks commonly contain errors and illegally reported information.
Employers often use criminal history information in illegal ways
• Discrimination based on criminal record: People with criminal records experience both
legal and illegal discrimination in employment, which often overlaps with other issues
like racial discrimination in employment decisions
• People with criminal records may be disadvantaged by both individual acts of
discrimination and broad discriminatory policies
• Intentional discrimination by employers may be hidden, and therefore difficult to prove
• Unintentional violations by employers may occur when employers do not know about
laws that forbid discrimination based on someone’s criminal record
Re-Entry Resources
• LA County DMH
• LA Regional Re-Entry Partnership
• CHIRP LA
• Re-Entry Directory
Clinical Considerations
• Clients who have been incarcerated can have several severe diagnosis:
• Schizophrenia
• Bi-Polar
• Clients can also have co-occurring substance use issues:
• Meth
• Alcohol
• Clients can also have non severe diagnosis that interfere with functioning:
• Conduct Disorder
• PTSD
• Depression
• Anxiety
Institutionalized Symptoms
• Need for structure and clarity
• Irritability
• Hypervigilance
• Sleep difficulties
• Flashbacks
• Feelings of attachment to prison culture
Clinical Interventions
• Substance Use/Recovery
• Clients have had access to substances while incarcerated
• Anger Management
• Parenting
• Role Playing: Societal Expectations
• What Happens to Formerly Incarcerated Women? (1:05 – 11:20)