After being away from my children for 18 years I came home anxious to rebuild my relationship with them. Over the years when I was in prison my children visited me annually. I wrote them constantly and spoke to them on the telephone infrequently. Visits and phone calls were just too costly. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Post-Incarceration: Part of Freedom is Pushing Yourself in New Directions
Early this morning as I sat at my dining room table drinking my coffee, trying to prepare myself for the day ahead, I found myself reflecting on my days in prison. It’s been almost three years and I still feel like I’m in the initial stages of reentry. I’m looking forward to the day when this will all feel normal: waking up in the free world with a ton of choices to make and no longer being affected by my distant past in prison. Continue reading
Halfway House Living after Incarceration – Women in Reentry
Last Friday I facilitated a focus group at Fairview, the only residential reentry center in Washington, DC for women. The purpose of the focus group was to determine the needs of the women and to discover the challenges women in reentry are facing while living in the halfway house. Continue reading
Male Perspectives on Relationships after Prison
I was having a conversation with a gentleman who served 25 years in prison. He has been home for six years. I asked him to tell me about his reentry process and he wanted to talk about relationships. Continue reading
Wardens in FPC Alderson in Conversation with Jeri Kirby, West Virginia University Professor of The Inside Out Program
Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking to the Bureau of Prisons Warden’s Advisory Council in reference to programming in female facilities and reentry efforts. I spoke alongside Jeri Kirby of West Virginia University. She is a professor who served two years in prison two decades ago. Since her release, she has obtained her degree and currently teaches the Inside Out Program to incarcerated individuals. Continue reading
Parole, Early Termination, and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA)
July 11, 2055 – That’s the day my parole sentence expires. In 1993 I was sentenced to 20–60 years. After serving 18.5 years I was granted parole after my initial hearing. I have been on parole for a little over two years. Even though I have been called “The Poster Child” for reentry in D.C. I remain on high-level supervision with Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA). Continue reading
Coping with Life on Parole
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote to his daughter when she was struggling to overcome the pain of a past mistake. He said, “Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; but get rid of them and forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day and you should never encumber its potentialities and invitations with dread of the past. You should not waste a moment of today on the rottenness of yesterday.” Continue reading
The Hardship on Families who want to visit their Loved Ones in Prison
For the past three months, my office, The Office of Returning Citizens Affairs, has been planning a free bus trip to three facilities in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. It has been challenging for me to handle my emotions surrounding this journey. Continue reading