The Formerly Incarcerated Support Tool kit Paper

Challenges Upon Release (two double-spaced pages in length)

• Describe at least three challenges facing people recently released from prison or jail.
• Discuss the social, cultural, and economic benefits that can occur when there is support for people recently released from prison or jail.
• Examine what resources are needed to support people recently released from prison or jail.
• Explain how policies in your state create barriers for people recently released from prison or jail to engage fully in their community.

Community Solutions (two double-spaced pages in length)

• Define what is needed for people to be successful upon release from the carceral system.
• Justify how communities might benefit from supporting people returning to their neighborhoods after serving time in prison or jail, using your informed opinion.
• Explain what solutions families need to reunite after incarceration.
• Propose a local policy solution to address the challenge of reintegration after the incarceration experience, specifically for BIPOC, women, trans, and nonbinary people who have served time.
• Using the sociological perspective, defend the impact of this policy proposal in your community. Will people support it? Why or why not?

Support Kit (three double-spaced pages in length)

Note: Imagine you are developing this support kit for people working with recently released inmates. As part of this portion of your paper, you will need to research how to find solutions and resources for people in your area. If you cannot find something, brainstorm how to raise funds or create donation centers to gather what people need.

• Explain the need for a support kit for formerly incarcerated people.
• Provide resources for job searches, housing, food, and other basic needs.
• Compile a list of educative support, including where people might get a GED, find certificates for trades, and apply to college.
• Develop a list of free or reduced-priced counseling support, including 12-step meetings (AA and NA), hotlines, and family therapists. You might look at local nonprofits or churches.
• Reflect on the experience in putting the support kit together. After completing this assignment, what did you learn?
• Optional: Take a step further by including your kit in a letter to your local legislators or a local nonprofit.