The criminal justice system has a responsibility to support formerly incarcerated individuals, as they often struggle to secure basic needs like housing and employment, leading to high rates of homelessness. Research indicates that this population faces significant challenges reintegrating into society, which can result in repeated incarceration due to criminal behavior driven by survival needs. Providing critical resources such as housing and job opportunities, along with re-education programs, can help mitigate these issues and promote sustainable reintegration.

1. The Criminal Justice System Does Have a Responsibility
I believe that the criminal justice system and its laws have a responsibility to help formerly incarcerated
people. This is because freshly released people find it challenging to acquire the things that other
members of society need to survive, like accommodation, sustenance and work opportunities. There is a
significant need for stakeholders in the criminal justice system to bridge the gap between regular
members of society and formerly incarcerated people. According to Couloute (2018), the transition from
prison to community life is rife with challenges that lead to high rates of homelessness among formerly
incarcerated people. Research also indicates that formerly incarcerated people are 7 to 13 times more
likely to experience homelessness. Furthermore, homelessness is strongly associated with the revolving
door of incarceration and release as affected persons turn to extreme measures to find food, shelter and
other means of survival. Formerly incarcerated homeless people are therefore likely to commit crimes to
support themselves and this often results in repeated incarceration.
The criminal justice system can therefore reduce instances of repeated offenses by providing critical
resources like temporary housing and work opportunities for formerly incarcerated people. Convicts
have a difficult time finding well-paid work and often require federal and state intervention for ideal
work opportunities to be identified.
According to Crane & Pascoe (2021), incarcerated people often become institutionalized which makes
creates further physical and psychological challenges when reintegrating back into society. Formerly
incarcerated people would therefore benefit from a program that re-educates former inmates and help
them to reacclimate to society predictably and sustainably. The criminal justice system has resources
and professionals that can be leveraged to help formerly incarcerated persons readjust their emotions
and thoughts to the outside world, and this is a significant step in preventing homelessness, repeated
offense and general suffering they experience in society.

2. References
Couloute, L. (2018). Nowhere to go: Homelessness among formerly incarcerated people. Prison Policy
Initiative. Retrieved from https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/housing.html
Crane, J. T., & Pascoe, K. (2021). Becoming institutionalized: Incarceration as a chronic health
condition. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 35(3), 307-326.