Getting Ready for Reentry
by Nicholas Backus, Staff Writer
LINO LAKES – Among the hardened faces at the prison last week, there were more reasons than one to crack a nervous smile or two.
Inmates attending a transitions fair are all scheduled to exit prison within one year, and the fair was a chance to get some help. For some, being released from the daily routine of prison life can also bring feelings of anxiety of the unknown.
Inmate Mark Larson, in prison on weapon charges, is overwhelmed by the fact he’s getting out this November.
“It’s scary to get this close (to release) while not having the information (provided at the fair),” Larson, 28 said. “It’s overwhelming finding out that I didn’t have the information that I thought I did.”
About 40 social services vendors from across the state visited the Minnesota Department of Corrections facility at Lino Lakes Aug. 16 to help soon-to-be released prisoners reintegrate into society. It’s part of the DOC’s efforts to confront and cut down on state recidivism rates of about 50 percent, which means half of all ex-offenders end up committing crimes and get reincarcerated.
Voluntary for offenders, the annual fair provides help for inmates looking to do things like get a driver’s license or find a job. They can also find drug dependency programs, psychological services and help in finding transitional or permanent housing.
“Being incarcerated might make you think you’re forgotten or demonized,” says Mark Groves, DOC facilities reentry coordinator.“By bringing this here, they are seeing people who have hope. They can lower their windows a little bit and talk about their hopes and dreams, their future.”
Herbert Hubbard was a union concrete worker for eight years before being convicted of a sex offense. Now he’s trying to find information on filing for bankruptcy, an example of the legal and economic challenges ex-offenders face.
“What will I do to stay out of here?” he asked. “What can I do to be a healthy person? There’s anxiety.”
Hubbard hopes to go back into concrete work. A cousin is a foreman on the Central Corridor light rail, a project he hopes to be a part of.
“I’ve been a selfish person for most of my life,” he said. “I’ve lived the same up to this point and it’s time to make better choices for my family and kids instead of living in the moment.”
According to DOC officials, the prison in Lino Lakes specializes in “treatment” of offenders and hosts less stringent operations than maximum-security facilities.
Drug and sex offenders are common at Lino Lakes. There’s also a faith-based program that serves 160 members.
For Donte Hart, the outside world has been mostly foreign for over five years. Now he could be out of prison by next June. The 27-year-old was once a self-described wild 22-year-old running the streets of Chicago, “selling drugs and anything you could think of.”
“What they have to offer has me confident but I’m nervous because I haven’t been out in a while,” Hart said.
He hopes to find housing and employment somewhere in the Twin Cities, but can’t live with his uncle or sister because of complications with a prior sex offense. Mostly, Hart is looking for support in life. He said there have been very few people in his life he could trust.
“The bad choices I made were because I didn’t have support,” he said. “I couldn’t talk to nobody because I didn’t trust ‘em.”
A first step back into civilian life for many inmates is acquiring a photo ID or driver’s license. At the Arden Hills driver exam table stood a small line of timid-looking inmates hoping to clear their driving records.
“We’re giving them the information needed to take care of requirements to get their record valid,” explained ID worker Dean McBride.
McBride said he would be back later that month to take ID photos and administer written driving tests for those who qualify.
“By the time they get out, they can have a valid license or ID card to take care of any business they need to do,” he said.
Others will be immediately searching for work. Terry Austin works for north Minneapolis nonprofit Emerge, which helps connect ex-offenders with potential employers who can receive tax breaks and other incentives for hiring Emerge job candidates.
When an ex-prisoner lands a job with one of Emerge’s employers, the organization monitors the new employees performance for 30 days to six months.
“We’re in a constant relationship with our employers,” Austin said. “We give a hand-up, not a hand-out.”
Other services, including the Minneapolis Workforce Center’s “New Leaf Series,” provide job hunting skills and information on how to navigate a challenging job market as an ex-offender, a group that claims much higher unemployment figures than the general populace. Minnesota Public Radio reported in November of 2009 that ex-offender unemployment hovered around 45 to 55 percent.
“Would you hire an ex-offender at your business?” asked Reentry Coordinator Groves. “We’re trying to give offenders the benefit of the doubt. They’ve served their time and there is an effort to level the playing field.”
Inmate Larson still has to face charges of meth and hit-and-run back in Wisconsin, where he’s from in Polk County. He said there’s still a good chance he can be released next year. Then he wants to buy a house in Minnesota.
“I’ve never seen any support before, and now I feel like I have a whole bunch of numbers I can call,” said Larson, who earned his GED in prison.
For four particular inmates, the transitions fair was a time for hope, a time with “light at the end of the tunnel.” In Grove’s view, the community plays a large part in that cause.
“These guys have ideas to change, and unless the community helps them it will be hard to maintain that enthusiasm,” he said.
The soon-to-be released inmates might not know every challenge they will shortly face, but last week helped, and it was no less reason to crack that smile.
Find more stories on the Lino Lakes prison at click here to go to website
Nicholas Backus can be reached at quadnews@presspubs.com, 651-407-1235.
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