Barriers to Reentry

Reentry refers to a returning citizens reintegrating back into society. High reentry rates means more people are returning to their homes. A successful reentry means they successfully re-establish their life in normal society.

Barriers to reentry are obstacles that make returning to society difficult and sometimes impossible. The consequences range from homelessness to committing another crime. The truth is that most people want to return to society and stay out of prison, but when the pressures of poverty become too great, many return to their old lifestyle and habits – which likely contributed to their conviction in the first place.

The barriers to reentry are compounding and intertwined. Most returning citizens struggle with all these barriers to some degree; and many barriers leave people in a catch 22. For example, you need a higher education to get a better paying job, but you need a good paying job to pay for a higher education. 

Education

There are all types of crimes and therefore all types of criminals. While there are many people in prison with a Bachelors, Masters and even PH.D degree, 40% of inmates do not have a GED or high school diploma. Most jobs in the USA require at least a high school education. Add low education achievement with a criminal record and it can become almost impossible to find a job, let alone one that provides a living wage. 

Employment

One of the major determining factors of poverty is employment. Making a living wage is often the beginning and end of poverty. For returning citizens, employment is an especially large barrier. Most people who were incarcerated fared poorly in the labor market before they were incarcerated. On any given year before they were incarcerated, only about half of inmates reported any earnings. For those who did report earnings, only 13% made more than $15,000. The median earnings was $6,250. Although an individual can make it on as little as $15,000, most returning citizens are coming back to a family. A family cannot survive on so little money. 

Housing

It’s well known that the cost to buy or rent a house or apartment are quickly outpacing many people’s earnings. This is especially true for returning citizens who already struggle to find jobs with a living wage. But the cost of renting or buying is only one part of the housing barrier for returning citizens.

Many housing complexes also run background checks, and many will not rent to someone with a criminal background. Housing complexes are also more willing to rent to someone with a misdemeanor rather than a felony. This makes finding a suitable place to live even more difficult for returning citizens, regardless of their ability to pay.

Substance Use

Substance use is tightly associated with many crimes including robbery, prostitution, and assault, and that’s not including all the various drug crimes one can be charged with. Some estimates show that between 3%-33% of all crimes are committed in order to obtain drugs (rates depend on the category of crime). Those estimates don’t account for any explicit drug offenses, such as possession or distribution.

Substance use often leads to addiction, and a drug or alcohol addiction has serious impacts on a person’s mental, emotional and physical health. Going to prison often means a cold turkey stop from using drugs, but that doesn’t mean the desire to use once they are released goes away. Many people who used drugs got into them because of friends or family members. Returning to that old social life often leads to them using drugs again, because for many inmates, drugs was just another family or friend activity. 

Mental Health

Experts estimate that 20% of people in jail and 15% of people in prison have a serious mental illness. Without proper treatment and support, people with a serious mental illness are unlikely to receive treatment either because they aren’t diagnosed or they cannot afford treatment. Serious mental illness is a significant bar to their ability to hold steady employment; and can lead to other issues like substance use as a form of self-medication, unemployment and homelessness.

Transportation

We all know how expensive it can be to buy a car, insure it, register it, and maintain it. Add to that regular gas costs each week, which average around $30-$40 depending on your car. It takes a few thousands dollars to buy the car and set up everything you need for it to legally be on the road. Plus $120-$160 per month to drive it. Take what we already know about their ability to find work – that only 55% of returning citizens reported any earnings, and most had earnings under $15,000 – and factor in transportation. Many returning citizens do not have access to a car and cannot afford a car. Without a car, many returning citizens can only work someplace within a reasonable walking distance. This greatly reduces their employment opportunities. 

What happens if they can afford a car, but then it breaks down? Many low-income individuals cannot afford to get their car fixed, which leaves them in the same dilemma as if they didn’t have a car at all.

If public transportation is available, which it usually only is in urban areas, then that opens the area that many people can work. But in areas where there is no public transportation, people just have to walk. Some people walk several miles each way to get to work and back to home. They usually end up walking along dangerous, busy roads with no sidewalks. Walking everywhere again greatly reduces the opportunities and resources available to them. 

Removing Barriers to Reentry

Although there are many barriers to reentry, there are many more organizations that are helping break those barriers. Community Action Agencies serve hundreds of returning citizens each year. Our agencies help returning citizens find a suitable house and vehicle. They provide job training, resume help, interview prep, and job referrals. They provide food assistance, rent assistance and programs like Weatherization that help reduce energy costs. Person-by-person, family-by-family, our agencies are working to build stronger communities by making success possible.

North Carolina Community Action Association’s program, NEW Reentry, is solely dedicated to helping returning citizens. They provide job and housing assistance, substance abuse and mental health treatment aid, childcare and healthcare services and vocational training. They help hundreds of people overcome barriers to reentry each year. To help support their work, we have our own custom coffee blend. All profits go directly to funding NEW Reentry and supporting returning citizens. Join is in building stronger, safer communities by helping returning citizens succeed! We are always looking for good people like you to donate your time and money. 

Want to Help?

There are many ways you can help us fight poverty in North Carolina:

• Buy Our For Cause Coffee | NEW Grounds Coffee is our custom coffee blend. Every fresh cup supports a fresh start for a returning citizen. All profits go towards our NEW Reentry Program, which helps returning citizens find work and reintegrate successfully back into society.

• Donate | We use your money to help run our programs, and provide training that helps organizations and individuals make their way to self-sufficiency. You can donate on our web page or find an agencies local to you.

• Volunteer | We can’t do this alone. Join us! Find one of our agencies in your county and check out their website for volunteer opportunities.

• Become a Member | Did you know you can become a Community Action Member? Membership provides discounted tickets to our various events, an inside look into our organization and more. Membership fees start at only $25 a year for an individual, or $300 for an agency.

• Partner with Us | We are humbled by the many non-profit and for-profit organizations that partner with us to bring services, educations and events to North Carolina. If your organization is looking for a non-profit to partner with, please consider us. Email us at info@nccaa.net. We would love to hear from you!