Profile of a Resident

Returning to Society after 40 Years

I checked George (alias) into the house today. He’s beyond excited to join us after 40 years of incarceration. Read that. 40 years. I wasn’t born yet when he entered prison. Yesterday – prison. Today – hello world.

George got a battery of do’s and don’ts, places he must travel immediately to checkin, 100% Absolute Do’s (or be incarcerated again) and 100% Absolute Don’ts (or be incarcerated again), instructions to find his IVY Home, and put on a bus. Over-stimulated is an understatement. Sedgwick County doesn’t have a program to help people transition from the society of prison to the broader society.

New Discoveries for George

Things he found that didn’t exist before:

  • cell phones
  • Wal-mart
  • automated checkout
  • driverless vacuums (a ghost vacuum snuck up on him at Walmart)
  • automatic tailgates
  • desktop computers

I used to love dystopian novels about individuals who woke up from a coma after 30 years. I’d actually daydream and discuss what a person would experience as they found their way back to us. I can’t stomach these stories now because I experience it IRL.

These days, when I help a man like George re-integrate, I remember those stories. It’s not as exciting as I dreamed. He’s thrilled. He never expected to be released from prison. I celebrate with him outwardly, but all I feel is a deep, aching sadness.

What’s our job

So as a society, what do we do with this man? They return to us frequently, even when we think about it, write about it, read about it. George is in recovery for drugs for the rest of his life. I surely don’t see any part of the man that once existed 40yrs ago. All I see now is a quiet old man who is terrified of doing anything wrong. Being incarcerated for 40 years means he lived far more of his life inside those walls than outside of them.

I can tell you the job frequently falls. No one takes it up. The few resources are tiny. The barriers are massive. They become our handicaped. If someone does take it up it’s usually Recovery Homes / Sober Homes. These homes are the ones who have been transitioning people from prison to society since the 1980s. They’ve been doing it quietly, often at their often expense, really.

Kansans

In Kansas no resources are provided for housing. There’s so much I could say about this. I’ve asked everywhere I can. All I find is sad Nos.

Look at the number of people released to the shelters because they either have no money to pay rent, or no one is willing to house them. You will be shocked.

Is that where we want someone to go after they release from prison? To me, that’s the worst case scenario. They’re wandering the streets. The likelihood that they’ll reoffend while homeless is much greater.

Sad Fact: We’ll put money into imprisonment but not in transition following imprisonment.

If you feel called to help I will take whatever you offer. Cash or volunteers. It takes both to house people. The bills for housing are very real. The time involved in teaching a person to use a cellphone and computer from scratch … it’s also real.

Note: Each person profiled here is in recovery for drug or alcohol addiction. That may not be the part or their story that I highlight. It is why they qualify to be housed with IVY Home Foundation.