Reclaiming the Challenge

Reclaiming the Challenge: Criminal Justice

Many return to their families and communities with complex and challenging needs. Thoughts, ideas and concerns (with solutions) on how I/we can assist the navigation of re-entry. Develop a system and program that works for your dream to succeed beyond the fence.

Thoughts: The day I sentenced my thoughts reflected to ten years into the future. My youngest child would be 21 years old. All of my kids would be grown with families of their own. Where would I go? What would I do? I tried to reflect at the last time I’d been here and what to do for the next phase.

Concerns: How am I going to support all of these kids if I walked out on my husband of seventeen years? I’ve been nothing but a mother and a housewife for all of these seventeen years. So now faced with a totally different future once again I started over again from the day I left my husband.

Ideas/Solutions: W.N.W. (Women Networking Women). When I left my husband. I had only enough for the roof over our heads and food. I went online to Craig’s list for furniture, cheap furniture. Agnes, 78 years old, recently widowed and needs help clearing out her husband’s old office. In return she’d give all the furniture for labor. One day of work got us living room furniture, a computer and a desk. Plus she put me in touch with a friend of hers who needed to get rid of a washer and dryer. My point being, there are people out there who have either been where you’ve been or can help in some way, maybe even both. Reach out, be honest, be willing to work to get where you need to be. The prison environment has a lot of women against women. There is power in unity. W.N.W. a website for alike and not alike people to be able to find each other and help each other. When I got to prison I sought others who had some time behind them. Just so, I could see how others handled their time.

• Gather those that can be a support system for you before you leave.

• The list of employers who higher felons would be of great use.

• Figure out how you are going to portray your felon part for an interview where you’ll have to explain.

-Verna Sealey