Many criminal justice professionals have tried this exercise and struggled. It’s not easy, but a recent Re-Entry Simulation training held at Riverside House in Miami gave community stakeholders a look at what it’s like for former inmates trying to make it in society.
Sponsored by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, this simulation used real-life situations to test the patience and resolve of staff from Riverside House (a halfway house), churches, and other non-profit organizations. Each attendee was faced with common hurdles to re-entry such as trying to re-enter the work force, complying with supervision obligations, finding affordable housing, and just getting their lives in order.
Stations such as quick loan, pawn shop, social services, counseling, drug testing, church, career center, and others lined the walls of the conference room and participants had to visit them for either tasks or assistance. The simulation was broken into four 20-minute segments, which equaled four weeks in the life of a returning citizen. All tasks had to be completed each week or the participant wound up in jail.
The difficulty of the simulation came as a surprise to participants.
“The first couple of weeks are very tough,” said Candido Tejado, Riverside House facility director. “It gets better as it progresses but it’s frustrating in the beginning. We were laughing before it started because you know, it’s a simulation, but we ended up getting upset. There was a lot of misinformation and catch-22s. How can you move forward?
Simulation Moderator and Chief of the Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office J.D. Smith gave encouragement to the participants as the weeks played out.
“This is the reality,” he said. “You’re learning first-hand. Welcome to the club. I learned that too. You can do this. Don’t give up on yourself.”
If this is the reality, with the barriers and frustration when trying to re-enter society, it’s no wonder some reoffend. That is why trainings like this are great for community members to experience. Perhaps it will lead to more empathy and the feeling of walking in someone else’s shoes.
“I think the participants learn the barriers and hurdles that our folks face when transitioning back into society,” said Smith. “Society requires you to pay your debt, but when you get out of prison, society makes you pay again. When they get out of prison, society sets up barriers when we should be knocking down those barriers. This is eye opening.”
Riverside House Chief Operating Officer David McSherry did this simulation one time before, but on this day he manned a Career Center table.
“People like me come to work, go home, and live a normal life,” he said. “But Riverside residents cannot come and go as they please. It’s important to see these situations from both sides. We all have the same passion to serve our reintegration population and it’s important to show empathy to those doing that.”
Original source can be found here.
