RE-ENTRY SIMULATION

People who are incarcerated have an extremely hard time both inside and outside during their incarceration. One of the biggest challenges faced by inmates is re-entry. There is little to no information given to those who are about to get out, so once they get out, they have a very challenging time. Widener University hosted a Re-Entry Simulation on March 21st to demonstrate the hardships that people face in those first four weeks of being out. It was a great way to experience these hardships without having to serve time.
I got the pleasure of participating in this event, and it was very thought-provoking. Although I recognize that the hardships that inmates face are 20x worse than those simulated for me during this event, it was a great representation of what happens those first four weeks after release. The event started simply, you walked into a room, and you were given a packet with your character’s information, some money, and a list of everything you need to do each week. Then it was time to start, you went out to the lobby of KLC, and there were tables for everyone with the stations you had to go to.
That first “week,” was difficult, because I did not have a lot of money and had no idea where to go or what each table did. I was lucky and got my identification card extremely fast, which allowed me to do everything I needed. However, those who did not get their identification that fast were struggling to catch up. That first week I accomplished getting my identification card, made $40, and checked off one task. The second week I went in a little more prepared, I bought more bus tickets, bought food, got turned away for a job, and got the mandatory testing. By this time other people were being arrested for violating their parole or just not having their identification cards. I watched as the fake police officers were arresting those who did not do what they needed to.
By the third week, I knew where everything was and what I needed to do, I made money off disability and was able to pay for everything that I had to. The third week was my most successful week. The fourth week went by extremely fast and although I did not check everything off, I had plenty of money left over along with bus tickets. I was on my way to re-entering successfully.
The whole event was to demonstrate the struggles that people face when they are re-entering, and the simulation did an amazing job of illustrating that. At the end of the event, there
was an open discussion about the issues that people face, what we can do, and talk about the simulation as a whole.