Being Incarcerated, 10 Years Later...

Reentry is incarcerated people who enter state prisons being released. If I was incarcerated for ten years but been going through parole I feel like the biggest obstacle I would face for successful reentry is the Ability to work and finding housing to provide for myself. I feel like this would of been the most challenging because of one discrimination, and two it being harder for parolees to recieve a job right after they've been released from prison due to the lack of skills and education. Trying to find a way to provide myself I know it would of been easier finding a profession that dealt with food service, manual labor, and a low earning pay job but someone like me I wouldn't have wanted to do any of those professions. Being released from prison, you officially have a criminal record and me being a young African American with a record can automatically slow down the hiring process because no organization would choose someone whos been convicted of a crime for their establishment compared to a caucasion whos never been convicted a crime before so that's a way discrimination could play a part trying to find a job. What would definitely make reentry successful for obtaining a job is by building connections or employment resources in the form of education and training while being incarcerated. Personally, I feel like I would have to plan ahead and also communicate with my parole officer but also people in the employment facilities. Housing on the other hand, I do not have a job due to discrimination of a criminal record to pay for rent or any of the above, so therefore finding a secure and affordable housing plan would of been harder to do especially because society now would look at me like i'm incapable for housing. What would help in this situation if my parol officer provided affordable housing options and policies were its more lenient to help support my transition back into the community.

David Keaton Exoneree

In 1971, David Keaton out of five men was convicted of murdering a sheriff's deputy who was off-duty at a Florida convenience store. He was one of the members of the Quincy Five. Keaton was the first prisoner exonerated from death row, after being interrogated and beaten by police officers at the age of 18 for three days. At the time, investigators pressured a false confession from the man and were given an inaccurate eyewitness testimony. During 1973, 2 years later, an investigation was made where the actual offender was discovered because of fingerprints found and the ballistic team was able to seek evidence connecting the men who really did the crime so they were convicted after. After, Keaton's post-release he joined the Witness To Innocence participating in activities that go against the death penaltyso nobod else experiences what he went through. Witness to Innocence is an organization for exonerees who did experience the death row and wants to share their experiences to the world about the death penalty and how it may have effected them in their life. Dying at the age of 63, on July 3rd, Keaton was known as a poet, singer and support for those who needed a handof motivation to keep going.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Five

https://innocenceproject.org/david-keaton-first-death-row-exoneree-and-lifelong-advocate-for-justice-dies-at-63/

https://www.witnesstoinnocence.org/single-post/dave-keaton

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/david-keaton-first-death-row-exoneree-in-modern-era-dies-at-age-63

Ear Hustle Podcast.

Personally listening to Ear Hustle, the intended audience that was directed were people who never encountered the Criminal Justice System. In the podcast, audiences receive the daily realities of life inside prison directly from actual inmates in San Quentin, California who are affected by mass incarceration. The message the podcast is trying to portray is what it's like to spend your entire life in prison and cancel all the stereotypes that are depicted through social media-based shows, for example, Orange is The New Black. One of my favorite podcasts was the "Snack Money" one where inmates run the place beside the staff working earning jobs to support their income while in prison. I thought some of the official jobs, for example, one of the inmates who work in the library enjoyed educating people which was something surprising to me only because I am big on prisoners deserving to get education or programs to motivate them in some form to at least keep going. My least favorite was the one where they spoke about Security Housing Unit (SHU) considered "The hole, the box, or even solitary confinement. I wouldn't want to experience not seeing the outside world, with no human interaction just isolated knowing that my mind is not built for that kind of pressure. Hearing, that being in that type of condition can scar one's mindset especially if they are not prepared for it like one inmate. An episode where the ones who were incarcerated finish off their sentences, get out of prison and film their lifestyle out of prison speaking about if it was hard for them to bounce back to real life and if they ever feel like they would end up back in prison, how did they feel coming out of prison and what were there emotions after realizing they had to leave built relationships/friendships with other inmates. Lastly, I would 100% recommend Ear Hustle to others because I enjoyed expanding my knowledge of knowing how real inmates lived their lives in prison especially because I am someone who is not able to relate to the outside of prison. Also, giving inmates a voice to tell a story they are living will broaden other mindsets of how one may struggle to survive in that particular lifestyle while others could be doing well-making profits of other inmates in prison.