OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY 1 OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY BACK INTO SOCIETY 15 Obstacles for Offender’s Reentry into Society Luv Dean Saint Leo University I. The Problem There is a major concern, among criminal justice professionals, in regard, to the unsuccessful reentry of inmates into civilian life after incarceration which leads to high rates of recidivism. The unsuccessful reentry is due largely to the stigma, inability to obtain gainful employment with a felony criminal record, a lack of marketable skills, and the collateral consequences. It makes an offender think about how they truly define themselves as a person in society II. Factors Bearing on The Problem Comment by Butch Beach: On the task bar use the drop menu on the spacing icon and select remove space after paragraph to get double spacing when using the enter key. It is important to understand the factors that lead towards offenders that have obstacles when reentering society. Offenders that have been released from prison usually have a hard time adjusting and being a productive citizen. Comment by Butch Beach: Eliminate the extra space; double space only • There is a lack of a strong family support system; prisoners rely heavily on their families to get support and to come back into society as a need of virtual reintegration. The stronger the relationship with the family when the prisoner is released, it is essential towards the prisoner’s character development with making the prisoner have a new experience of the family against the prison experience. Comment by Butch Beach: The factors should be presented as bullets.. • Most employers do not hire people with a criminal conviction. because an employer doesn’t want an ex- prisoner’s behavior to affect the business. Ex- prisoners who are able to get higher paying jobs are more apt to change in their lives compared to those prisoners who do not find adequate job opportunities in society. • There is a lack of vocational rehabilitation opportunities in the prison systems. The prison systems need to offer vocational training official to administer pre-employment services to that works as a guide towards development. • A lack of basic subsistence assistance contributes to recidivism. Many states have banned those with felony convictions from benefits such as food stamps, TANF, SSI, and residence in public housing, either permanently or temporarily. Rules that bar those with a felony record from public and subsidized housing may limit residence with friends and family as well and increase the likelihood of homelessness. It is assumed that if the prisoners are transitioning from prison into society, the prison system have to focus on providing services to the prisoner. It is assumed that the reentry process should help prisoners with the survival needs (food, housing, and employment) and skill- based services (treatment, literacy, and job training). III. Discussion Offenders rely heavily o.

1. OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY 1
OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY BACK INTO
SOCIETY 15
Obstacles for Offender’s Reentry into Society
Luv Dean
Saint Leo University
I. The Problem
There is a major concern, among criminal justice
professionals, in regard, to the unsuccessful reentry of inmates
into civilian life after incarceration which leads to high rates of

2. recidivism. The unsuccessful reentry is due largely to the
stigma, inability to obtain gainful employment with a felony
criminal record, a lack of marketable skills, and the collateral
consequences. It makes an offender think about how they truly
define themselves as a person in society
II. Factors Bearing on The Problem Comment by Butch Beach:
On the task bar use the drop menu on the spacing icon and
select remove space after paragraph to get double spacing when
using the enter key.
It is important to understand the factors that lead towards
offenders that have obstacles when reentering society.
Offenders that have been released from prison usually have a
hard time adjusting and being a productive citizen. Comment by
Butch Beach: Eliminate the extra space; double space only
• There is a lack of a strong family support system;
prisoners rely heavily on their families to get support and to
come back into society as a need of virtual reintegration. The
stronger the relationship with the family when the prisoner is
released, it is essential towards the prisoner’s character
development with making the prisoner have a new experience of
the family against the prison experience. Comment by Butch
Beach: The factors should be presented as bullets..
• Most employers do not hire people with a criminal
conviction. because an employer doesn’t want an ex- prisoner’s
behavior to affect the business. Ex- prisoners who are able to
get higher paying jobs are more apt to change in their lives
compared to those prisoners who do not find adequate job
opportunities in society.
• There is a lack of vocational rehabilitation
opportunities in the prison systems. The prison systems need to
offer vocational training official to administer pre-employment
services to that works as a guide towards development.
• A lack of basic subsistence assistance contributes to
recidivism. Many states have banned those with felony
convictions from benefits such as food stamps, TANF, SSI, and
residence in public housing, either permanently or temporarily.

3. Rules that bar those with a felony record from public and
subsidized housing may limit residence with friends and family
as well and increase the likelihood of homelessness.
It is assumed that if the prisoners are transitioning from
prison into society, the prison system have to focus on
providing services to the prisoner. It is assumed that the reentry
process should help prisoners with the survival needs (food,
housing, and employment) and skill- based services (treatment,
literacy, and job training).
III. Discussion
Offenders rely heavily on their families to be able to get the
support; they needed to be able to reenter into society in regard
to every respect that will suit their need of virtual reintegration
(Gideon, 2010). Offenders need the overall encouragement,
employment opportunities, shelter and any financial support, so
that they feel welcomed back into the society when such
interventions are met towards their experience. The stronger the
relationship in the family when the prisoner is released its
essential towards character development and also making the
offender have a new experience of the family against the prison
experience (Gunnison & Helfgott, 2013). At this moment
considering all the factors it is important to understand how
incarceration affects the family and also at the same time
understand what incarcerations means to the inmate as serving
the sentence is just part of the whole experience. When
offenders are being held it affects the families, like it creates a
single-parent family if the other partner will be incarcerated for
some time. While such a dynamic can only be maintained if the
two partners work and continue to build the family relationships
as it has been established that more families develop better
relationships with the family members in jail.(source)
That might be the case, t The opposite might happen whereby
the inmate might does not have no any one to confide in,
especially in family members. Maybe because they had a bad
relationship before going to prison, or the family resents the
offender because they got themselves into prison. These are the

4. dynamics that need to be considered when looking at how
family relationships might help in improving reentry into the
society. Mainly because if an offender truly has something to go
back to, like going to raise their child/children or going back to
his family because they missed them and strive to put in proper
behavior to make sure that they do not go back to prison.
Additionally, family will help the offender reenter back into the
society smoothly through various activities like going to church
and meeting different people in the congregation, who might
give the recommendation for new jobs or hire them. The main
reason family has been emphasized is because the reentry is
getting back and fitting into the community, and in this case, it
is safe to say that family is the basic unit of the society or
community. If an offender wants to be reconnected with society,
they can reconnect through the community. As mentioned before
religion will play an important role, the family friends, the
friends and the community at large, will assist in the reentry.
Comment by Butch Beach: Luv personal opinions and
thoughts are not allowed; you will need to cite the source for all
of this…
When offenders are released, they are at high risk of
failing in securing job opportunities and attaining reasonable
economic security. The challenges that are faced by offenders
while trying to accept their behavioral aspects needs much
consideration by ensuring that they receive public assistance
and achieving financial security (Gideon & Sung, 2010). The
“reintegration perspective” focuses on social and economic
reintegration after release (Travis, 2004). This perspective
emphasizes entering the labor market and repairing and
renewing ties to family and community (Travis, 2004). In
addition, this perspective focuses on helping renew family ties
due to offender’s lengthy time in prison. For the most part, the
family needs to do a pre-release attendance to the offender’s
respondents to culminate a positive expectation from the society
after release (Hattery & Smith., 2010).
Supportive families, after the release of the offender, ’s makes

5. the reintegration process much better and more straightforward
in achieving the goal of the reentry process. As society looks
into with the reintegration perspective, it focuses on how an
offender can use this perspective to help with social and
economic reintegration and to help build social relationships
among society. When offenders are released from prison, they
feel complimented when society understands them, changing
their emotional aspect. Furthermore, it’s it is the duty of
respective family members to ensure their family members
receive family support both in and out of prison. Higher value
and attention may be realized in the life of the prisoner even
better than when they were incarcerated with adequate support.
Thus, the family is an essential factor towards influencing the
process of reentry (Hattery & Smith, 2010). Facing a
challenging environment makes many offenders released in
prison in the United States deter from the process of becoming
more actively involved in the society. The livelihood, social
connections, and residence of the offender make them get more
interconnected with the society through such aspects (Travis,
2004). As mentioned before, religion and other social
gatherings that the community might be involved in are
important to an offender. Such as if they go to religious places
with family, they will meet different people who will help them
to reenter successfully.(source)
In American society, people go in and out of prisons which has
contributed to increasing inequality in recent decades, primarily
by reducing opportunities for employment and lowering wages
among former prisoners, but also by decreasing the prevalence
of two-parent families (Western 2007). Psychological support of
the prisoner offender upon release benefits in the process of
having a polite society that will provide an excellent crime
prevention background even when the prisoners are faced with
life cycle problems. Effective interventions effectively make
prisoners have a further constituent commitment in the society.
Thus, an effective plan to integrate the prisoner and the
community is to have the family be the initial factor to

6. influence character and behavioral change of the prisoner
(Gideon., 2010).
When offenders are released, there is a high er percentage of
offenders, who come back into the society and fail to receive
federal correctional programs such as employmen, alsot fail to
maintain the process. After being released they encounter the
challenge of securing jobs and employment opportunities.
Society has the tendency to employ persons with no criminal
history because an employer doesn’t want an offender’s
behavior to affect the business (Gunnison & Helfgott, 2013).
Additionally, social factors of which that include, lack of
family support, poor employment history, and also negative peer
influence results in prisoners not being accepted back into the
society and in not being able to secure employment. While
criminal conviction, may look like the main cause of
incarceration in the first place, it also contributes as an obstacle
of offender’s reentry into the society. Why is this? Criminal
conviction has an aspect know as collateral consequences; these
are aspects that affect the inmate’s life as long as they are
incarcerated. For instance, prohibition from voting, owning a
firearm among other serious collateral consequences that come
with criminal conviction. Offenders who have served time will
definitely find it difficult to reunite with their families and
definitely ineligible for most types of employment. Mainly
because their skills might have been outdated or the
employment environment does not exactly entertain the
employment of offenders.(source)
These obstacles hinder the ability of accessing public housing,
earning a living and enjoying a quality of life. Those obstacles
make s the offenders feel like life back in prison was better and
less stressful therefore luring offenders back to recidivism,
leading to an increased correctional cost to the judiciary. While
s Some of the collateral consequences are important and serve a
specific function to reducing the chance of recidivism. Like for
instance, if an inmate had the offence of armed robbery,
basically making it illegal for them to have a gun will be

7. helpful for them and the criminal justice system. Which also
goes for sex offenders, who has been prohibited to be sex
offender as a way of earning incoming will probably reduce the
chance of the ex-offender repeating the crime. A good example
is that the state of Texas prohibits an individual from serving as
an instructor a at a college or a career school. Therefore, if an
individual was an instructor then they would need new skills
(Blumstein and Nakamura, 2018). This a factor is unavoidable
which is result of criminal conviction, as aspect that might
inevitably have a solution.(source) Comment by Butch Beach:
Inaccurate statement—The Judiciary does not pay correctional
costsComment by Butch Beach: Relevance to job? Comment by
Butch Beach: Does not make sense?
Offenders who are able tocan acquire legitimate jobs are less
likely to face the challenge of recidivism. Those offenders who
are able to get higher paying jobs are more likely to have a
change in their lives compared to those offenders who do not
find good job opportunities in society (Cole, et.al.2018). For the
reentry programs to be successful the criminal justice system
should be ready to work with the society. This is a trend that
has been developing through the years. Most companies have
understood the obstacle of finding a job after incarceration and
know have turned to hiring offenders as part of inclusion
strategy. Although the jobs are not the nest best jobs, they pay
minimum wage and it will play an important role, before an
individual get back to their feet.(source)
After an offender has been released from prison through
employment will be able to maintain employment opportunities.
Therefore, it’s possible that the offender will avoid re-arrest
when the society accepts factors like, stable accommodations
and lack of substance battered associated problems. Also, it’s
identified that offenders need to have an influenced life in
which they will have their respective needs identified and met
with even specific services that they require in their life. Being
the most essential factor, employment opportunities, GED
accreditations, job training and also job vocational educations

8. will aid in the process of reentry (Gideon & Sung 2010).
Comment by Butch Beach: Rephrase, this sentence does
not make sense Comment by Butch Beach: Do you mean
unstable accomodations? Comment by Butch Beach: What is
this?
Additionally, cases of recidivism have are significantly reduced
as the offenders get legitimate employment opportunities upon
release. Participating in employment services also assists them
to be able to gain friends who are able to guide them through
the principle of responsibility in abiding the law. In addition,
society needs to let offenders receive life training lessons
randomly in aid of boosting the worker's egocentrism towards
facing life-challenging influences (Gideon & Sung 2010). Such
opportunities make it possible to have a timelier intervention
program that helps the prisoner make change. Legitimate job
opportunities play a vital role to seamlessly have a good
integration program that re-vitalizes the character development
process. It’s It is hard for the offender to have a change in life
when they are influenced back to crime through employees who
accept to have the same crime related behaviors such as the use
of drugs at the workplace and also smuggling of products from
worksites (Gideon & Sung 2010).
Within the prison system there needs to be employment-related
services readily made available to the offenders upon the time
that they get to work until they are released from prison.
(Travis, 2004). Such intervention, makes the offenders
adequately prepared in their skills, even when jailed, to improve
their ability before being released into the community once
again. Vocational assessments are essential towards having a
plan that basically revitalizes skill developments. The future
employment is constituent in readiness to train the prisoner
early and also to have a series of benchmarks that aid in the
program of character skill development (Cole, et., 2018).
It's more beneficial for the prisoner’s post-release necessities
through the pre-release procedures put in place at the prison
before release (Hattery A. & Smith E., 2010). Therefore, it is

9. essential to make employment easy for the prisoner then after
release to embark in the process acceptance into the society.
Positive influences will be realized when we have a concrete
and offenders get back to the process of securing jobs at the
employment sites (Gunnison E.& Helfgott J. B, 2013). APA
formatting Comment by Butch Beach: Need a second reader
for missing words
When an offender is released, they rely heavily on living
with their parents and siblings due to their criminal history.
Many states have banned those with felony convictions from
benefits such as food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and
residence in public housing, either permanently or temporarily
(Travis, 2004). Rules that bar those with a felony record from
public and subsidized housing may limit residence with friends
and family as well, and increase the likelihood of homelessness
(Travis, 2004). Offenders upon release tend to be closer to the
mother than the father. Having contact with the mother provides
a sense of responsibility as mum mothers s always support their
children despite any negative aspects of their lives compared to
fathers with a higher margin (Gunnison E. & Helfgott J. B,
2013). Offenders typically don’t have any money, need
emotional support, and good advice can only be found in the
family better than the society. Moreover, when the family
makes frequent visits to the prison, it’s more likely the prisoner
to be more attached to them even when they have been released
(Travis, 2004).
Most families become worried about their family member being
sent back into prison, and after serving their sentence, they
strive for the success of their family member. Making the
family become more comfortable is always essential for the
criminals to pay back the time they spent away from the family
when they were in prison. Upon being jailed it’s easier for the
family to face health problems especially if a family member is
stressed up and gets information that the family members are
incarcerated. The emotional stresses make them contract

10. sickness like stroke when they are provided with messages
about their child’s arrest (Cole., et. 2018). Which is an expected
outcome when it is observed in different angles. The connection
with families is a significant part of the reentry, as it actually
acts a facilitator instead of the obstacle of reentry into the
community. This means that if the parents, or family member is
concerned about the inmate or the they actually fall sick from a
predisposing condition that was there before their family
member was incarcerated it will definitely persuade the inmate
to get on good behavior, while in prison and get released on
good behavior, or when they are released they will be able to
come and try their best to successfully enter the community so
that their the stress placed upon their family is reduced.(source)
this is related more to factor one than here
Most children always need to have their parents in their
life and alsoand to stay at home to avoid being subjected back
to prison. It’s evident that most family members become more
worried to have their counterparts fall into the same problem
that submitted them to be jailed (Cole, 2018). Therefore,
especially when the prisoner has been released the family and
siblings will always keep track of the offenders dealing and
daily movements. Upon exiting the houses, the family will still
have unanswered questions pertaining to their family members
who cannot get proper housing; especially makes the prisoner
become more concerned. Being with the family and living with
them is an initiative that makes the offender abstain from bad
companies that will influence them back into crime related
issues. Probation plays an integral role of abstaining from
drugs, and the likelihood of getting back into prison (Cole., et.
2018). The family will keep tabs on the offender to make sure
that they successfully reenter into the society. Mainly because if
that is not the case it will cost the family and not entirely
financially but, it can be mostly emotionally. Therefore, the
family will make sure that any obstacles that the prisoner might
face is out of their ways it will be cheaper to deal with the
situation in this perspective. Like the family will provide a roof

11. over their head, some money to keep them afloat before they
find a job, and definitely help them secure employment.
There is a strong relationship between maintaining string family
relationships and parole success, this is because the family is an
important component in making sure that individuals smoothly
transition from incarceration to reentry in the society. The
connection that the offender builds with the family which
encourages them to develop the need of being free so as to
finally spend more time with the family. This is particularly
when the offender has had more contact with family during their
sentence as compared to offenders who had less contact with
family. Strong family support encourages offenders through the
reentry program as, the offenders develop a sense of family
importance among the people who are incarcerated.
Additionally, family play important role such as financial
support as the individuals strive to enter into workforce which
is the most difficult aspect of the reentry.
Due to the offender’s status, they may be put on a higher
priority than most by their parole officer or their probation
officer. Having a poor credit status in the past can be influenced
when the family is involved in the process. A natural step can
be made in which the family member is given priority to have
the house and lease it back to the prisoner as a family initiative.
Therefore, it’s more likely when the offender gets housing back
in the poor and unsuitable environment they will reflect back to
living in prison. Thus, the housing situation makes them live in
environments that need to be upgrade back and have the
members receive a better good life later. Transitioning with the
help of the family becomes more beneficial in understanding the
prisoner and also to keep track of the behaviors that may
develop even after the release of the prisoner. It’s important for
the family to adjust on the adapting to family members despite
the negative characters of the family member (Gideon., 2010).
Comment by Butch Beach: This factor should be about
vocational rehabilitation it is not just more of factor one
In some cases, offenders may commit another crime within

12. months of release. Thus, imprisonment always breaks the ties
between the family and the community. Therefore, parole
supervision is initiated towards prisoners so that they can be
supervised out from the normal duty to stay at the prison but
rather be released in the society (Reamer, 2017). Parole
supervision may constitute the prisoner to be taken back to jail
due to the constant parole supervision. When conditions have
been administered to the offenders before being released back
into the society, prisoners always vow to stay by the rules and
conditions given at the prison. But also, it is important to
understand and look at the conditions that have been given for
the parole. Some conditions maybe not to leave the state within
a period of time, might be house arrest, or might be getting a
job. Well getting a job for a convict definitely will be difficult
looking at the biasness in employment here employees would
not hire an ex-convict, leading to the implementation of laws
such as “ban the box,” which was not a success rather it
increased the bias when it comes to hiring ex-convicts and
normal people. Comment by Butch Beach: Parole and probation
is not a stated factor
This critically shows that the inmate on parole has a high
chance of not fulfilling this requirement of finding a job,
because it is out of their power. This is what creates the
pressure for the offenders, because they understand time is
ticking and they need to get the job, but they are not able to
because of the underlying circumstances. Such stress factors
will lead to recidivism especially if the individual is not able to
handle stress properly. The slightest inconvenience may lead
them back to jail. Additionally, aspects like staying within the
state or house rest only requires discipline and patience. But
what if the offender does not have any family support, they do
not have proper way of supporting themselves and maybe there
is agency for offenders nearby. This definitely makes their live
very hard as compared to when they were incarcerated and an
individual who has nothing to lose will immediately prefer
going back to jail instead of living a life that is full of pressure

13. and stress, that is created create with circumstances that is out
of their control.
Parole investigations make prisoner imprison themselves back
due to a feeling that they are subjected to harsh conditions.
Despite the fact that offenders accept to undergo parole
supervision and requirements, it’s evident that some fail to
abide by the rules set and end up being imprisoned (Reamer,
2017). Being discharged on parole and overseeing judgments to
detainee’s dependent on the offense done influences detainees
to choose to depend without anyone else mind knowledge to
live. In this manner amusingly, the parolee needs to comply
with the terms and standards set while being discharged out of
jail. Before the parolee reenters into the general public, they
have to demonstrate their honesty by maintaining the conditions
set to indicate they will follow the law even after discharge.
Which is not easy as discussed before, mainly because some of
the parole requirements cannot be met by the parolee mainly
because they requirements are out of their hands. Meaning that
they will fail to abide, and with the parole investigations it will
deem them unfit to reenter into the society while in real sense
the environment created by the criminal justice requirements are
not just favorable. Therefore, what can be done is to look into
the redesigning of the parole system mainly the requirements
for release. As mentioned before each prisoner is unique, in the
sense of class, education level, financial ability, family
dynamics among other aspects that might affect their successful
reentry. Then it means that what will work for on individuals on
parole will not definitely work for the other individuals.
Therefore, an assessment of an individual’s abilities and life in
general, would help to come up with the proper requirements
that will make their life easier.
Depending on the violation made by the prisoner before the
arrest, the conditions set by the parole board or any officer
associated with their release. Thus, the prisoner is required to
comply with all laws enacted by the state and federal
governments. Upon being released on parole, the prisoner is

14. needed to stay by the state of his/her incarceration (Craig, et.,
2013). Furthermore, this is part of the requirement, having
steady employment and also maintaining their educational track
needs them too to make any reports to the parole officer on the
progress. Abstaining from any drug substances, changing of
address, and possession of firearms should always be a report
made to the parole officer (Craig, et., 2013).
As part of violating the parole conditions, the parolee should be
subjected to reincarnation due to their consequence. Thus, the
ex- prisoner will face new charge proceedings in regard to
offenses done after the parole was issued. Therefore, parole
officers have a great responsibility to ensure that the parolee
stays by the conditions and also when the parolee commits any
crime, he/she decides on what will happen to the parolee upon
arrest. Any evidence presented upon him or her needs to be
heard and also charges be based on the offense or crime
committed (Reamer, 2017).
IV. CONCLUSION
The obstacles that hinder reentry of offenders back to the
society are complex, in this case there need to be stringent or
complex remedies that will counter these obstacles. Basically,
the obstacles mostly come from the design of the system, like
for instance the offenders when they get into reentry they rely
on siblings and family to get back on their feet. In this period
the offenders try to get job, but at the same time they are
stigmatizing by society starting from the family, the community
and employers. What follows is that the offenders find a harsh
environment that is worse than their incarceration period. This
will lead to them committing anther crime that would send them
back to prison which is a peaceful life as compared to starting
anew life in a new environment. Additionally, some offenders
are released on parole, and at times the measure that come with
parole are very harsh that makes the offenders feel like, they are
still prisoners.
Taking for example an individual is released on house arrest for
a period of time, if the offender does not have family, savings,

15. or a job that can eb done at home then how will they survive.
This creates a stressful environment for the offenders and what
follows is they prefer to go back thus recidivism. Therefore, the
justice system should understand that the reentry programs in
place are not effective in getting rid of all these obstacles for
reentry. There should be measures that make sure the reentry
from the prison release to community is as smooth as possible
for the offenders so that they will be able to survive in the
community as based to the second chance act of 2007 (Burris &
Miller, 2017). What should be done is that the reentry
organization should start the reentry as early as possible,
immediately the prisoner is incarcerated. Additionally, the
reentry should be digitized since there are three realms (online,
prison and reentry) for an offender.
Action Recommended RECOMMENDATION
The action that should be taken is that the reentry should be
developed to start early in the incarceration. That is, when the
inmates are sentenced the reentry programs should start the
program for each inmate at this moment. This is because each
inmate is unique, according to their economic status, family
status, skills and abilities among other aspects that differentiate
them. Therefore, through having an insight for each individual
it will help to provide each …