An Invitation from The Palms' Social Justice Action Team Criminal Justice Work Group, written by Nancy Nonini
On Friday, October 1, 160 women were released from Perryville Prison. Many more incarcerated people may be released due to the passage of the recreational marijuana bill. Do you know what they face when they do leave incarceration? It isn’t an easy transition.
Come to our Re-Entry Simulation on October 23 to experience the roadblocks that one faces upon release from prison. The simulation is a fascinating experience.
According to Palms moderator John Durbin: “This experience opened my eyes. I thought it would be like it is in the movies: released prisoner gets out, waves goodbye to the warden, picked up by family member, reunites with family and makes a choice to either start a new life or reconnect with the “bad element.” Pretty simple. It’s his/her choice! I had no idea about the obstacles put in the released person’s life to set him/her up for failure. Here is what released individuals deal with: dropped off at a bus station, no money, no driver’s license, no income, no place to live, no insurance, no healthcare plan, unaware of how the outside world has changed. The individual has to meet regularly with a parole officer, who has no real incentive to keep him/her from going back to the slammer, and a privately run prison system wanting to increase revenue.”
Our partner, Arouet Foundation, will be leading us in this discovery experience. You’ll be given your release status profile with requirements to be fulfilled immediately upon re-entry into the community.
So please join us at Church of the Palms (14808 N Boswell Boulevard, Sun City, Arizona 85351) in King Hall on Saturday, October 23, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, followed by a light lunch and opportunity to process the morning with other participants! It will be an enlightening, fun and, sometimes frustrating, morning, and you will leave more sensitive to the “life sentence” that follows those once incarcerated.
Please register by Monday, October 18 HERE. Registration is limited by activity area and lunch. Questions? Contact Nancy Nonini at nnonini19@gmail.com.