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Reentry Simulations


What's it like to get out of prison?
​Our Reentry Simulation​ illustrates the enormous challenges faced by those returning from incarceration. The simulation raises awareness, outrage and empathy about the reentry process and makes obvious for any audience the need for more creative solutions and compassion for those impacted.

Get in touch to schedule ​a Reentry Simulation at your association, office headquarters, university, conference, and more. Keep scrolling to learn more and view a calendar of upcoming events.
Learn more about the Reentry Simulation
Learn More About the 50 State Strategy


700,000 People Get Out Of Prison Every Year

The Reentry Simulation is an interactive event that creates an incredibly eye-opening probation experience in just two hours. Participants have the opportunity to experience the challenges inmates face upon release from prison. This simulation is great for universities, office headquarters, conferences, associations, and more.
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Legal Restrictions
​
​There are 48,000 legal restrictions on
those with criminal records, according
to Prison Fellowship
. For example,
in Colorado, you can’t call a bingo game
(or even help with one) if you have
been convicted of a felony. New York 
applies a similar restriction. In Michigan, 
you can’t have a dog that's part wolf.

In Oklahoma, you can't own or operate
any coin-operated device like machines
at a laundromat or even a gumball mach-
ine. In Texas, no one convicted of a
felony can ever be involved in
the formation of a corporation.


Some states block any person with
a criminal record from becoming
a barber, hairstylist, cosmotologist,
manicurist or massage therapist.  
When these restrictions are unrelated
to a person's crime, it makes it
unnecessarily hard for people with
a criminal record to provide
for themselves and their families. 












​

​​


​
​UPCOMING SIMULATIONS:

March 11, 2020
Nashville
Tennessee Legislature 
Nashville, TN
*********​​​​​
March 17, 2020
Kansas
The Village Initiative
Kansas City, KS
*********​​​​​
March 25, 2020
Sacramento
Day Of Empathy
Sacramento, CA
*********​​​​​
April 8, 2020
Salt Lake City
Americans for Prosperity
Salt Lake City, UT
*********​​​​​
April 16, 2020
Charlottesville
TomTom Fest
Charlottesville, VA
*********​​​​​


Comments from Simulations
​ 

"Educational. Eye-opening"
"Inspiring. Difficult. Insightful"

*******

"I'm usually an optimistic person, but I found this simulation soul destroying! 
I couldn't do anything right!... 
I felt that I was being set up for failure, however hard I tried to follow the system. 
I got more & more depressed & just wanted 
to give up. Even though some organizations
(the food bank & probation officer) showed kindness & offered positive help,
I still felt like a failure." 
*******


"Helpless. Why bother to try?"
"Frustrating. Mad. Sad"
*******


"My experience with the re-entry simulation for prisoners was an eye-opener. As I started my "pretend" process back into the real world, I became confused as to what I needed to do first. I was given quite a good start with a family and money , but it was still a very big challenge." 

"Super stressful. Live changing."
"Inmates are never done
with their sentence,
​even after they're released.."
*******

"This event opened my mind and made me more respectful towards reentry."
"Do this on every university campus."
*******

 
"It seems as if one is destined for failure when released from prison & that's such a shame.
I needed some I.D., which I managed to lose. I had to hock my radio to get money to pay my parole officer & I got back $5 less because they didn't have the correct change...
I couldn't get money for my plasma because I didn't pass the drugs tests & 
after two failures, wound up in jail." 

 
Before I went to jail, they did a body search. It was similar to how it would be done in a real prison. Without giving the details of this search, let me say that it was humiliating!"
*******

 
The re-entry simulation was an extremely valuable learning experience for me. ​I've been out of Social Services work for more than 15 years & a lot has changed.  I was staggered by the services the re-entry folks had to pay for. In my day, the county paid for parole, probation & drug tests. I was familiar with the waiting lines & poor access to treatment. Transportation costs are very real, especially when the Social Service offices are only open till 4 PM and are across town, & require bus transfers to get there. It makes it worse if you have a daytime job & cannot get the time off to see your probation person. The system is set up to make folks fail & return to jail or prison.  A great learning experience ​for every community.

PAST SIMULATIONS:
October 2019
Lancaster
Voices from the Heartland
Lancaster, PA
*********​​​​​
September 2019
Charleston
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL
*********​​​​​
August 2019

New York City
Columbia University
NYC, NY
*********​​​​​
August 2019

Austin
American Legislative Exchange Council
Austin, TX
*********​​​​​
June 2019
Tempe
AZ Public Defender's Conference
Tempe, AZ
*********​​​​​
​April 2019

New York City
Columbia University/The Osborn Association
NYC, NY
*********​​​
​April 2019
New York City
Friends Seminary
NYC, NY
*********​​
March 2019
Kansas
The Village Initiative
Kansas City, KS
*********​​
February 2019
California
University of California
Irvine, CA
*********​​
February 2019

Arizona
All Saints Episcopal Church
Phoenix, AZ
*********​​
February 2019

Arizona
Liberal Ladies
Fountain Hills, AZ
*********​​
​November 2018
Arizona
Gold Canyon Heart & Home

Phoenix, AZ
*********
April  2018
Oregon
Second Chance Tour

Salem, OR
*********
February 2018
St. John the Baptist
Episcopal Church
Glendale, AZ 
*********
February 2017
Graham County 
Substance Abuse Coalition
Safford, AZ
*********
November  2017
Columbia University
Center for Justice
New York, NY
*******
November 2017
Faith Lutheran Church
Phoenix, AZ
*********
October 2017
DKB Foundation
Second Chance Summit
Atlanta, GA
*******
September 2017
ASU Project Humanities
ASU Student Pavilion
Tempe, AZ

*******

People deserve a fair chance

"Certainly, by providing individuals coming out of institutions with ways to become productive citizens, we reduce recidivism. What that means is we reduce crime. There are fewer victims when individuals have options - when they have job skills, when they have life skills, we break the cycle of children following their parents into institutions."          ​- Attorney General Loretta Lynch

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Copyright © 2016 Reinventing Reentry
  • Home
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