Workshop on Facilitating Meaningful Reentry

Traditional conceptions of prison reentry focus on overcoming obstacles and alleviating deficits resulting from incarceration. But increasingly there is a recognition that formerly incarcerated individuals bring with them significant skills, resilience, and resourcefulness, much of which actually result directly from their time in prison. While incarcerated, women and men may have worked in law libraries and taken prominent roles in programs on parenting, education, and business skills. More generally, they may have been leaders within their prison communities. A challenge upon reentry is to have these assets recognized and to be able to utilize these to achieve professional and personal success following release.

This workshop will involve students in developing projects to address these goals. Working in partnership with Prof. Susan Sturm’s Center for Institutional and Social Change and drawing on her groundbreaking work on reframing reentry, the workshop will require students to collaborate with formerly incarcerated individuals to design or implement a program targeted at facilitating reentry.

Instructor approval required