Thriving in the Midst of Uncertainty

My friend Rafael, a fellow student in the Calvin Prison Initiative calvin prison initiative, is hoping he will soon be released from prison after serving twenty-five years for a drug offense. While he is filled with hope for this outcome, he is also faced with much uncertainty. He is uncertain if he will have a public hearing, if he will be released as a result of that hearing, if he will be deported to his native Dominican Republic as a condition of his release or be allowed to stay in the U.S., and, in either case, he is uncertain to what conditions he will be released. A lot changes in one's life after twenty-five years. Family members and friends die or move away, and much of the world has changed. The uncertainty of it all can be overwhelming. 

I have been in prison for nine years, just over a third of what Rafael has served, and much has changed for me. I am hopeful about the possibilities for my future, but nothing is certain. Although I have more years left on my sentence, if I were released today, I don't know where I would live, what I would do for a job, and a host of other uncertainties. I'm fortunate, as is Rafael, to have a couple of family members still who would make that transition back to society easier for me. But many prisoners have no such support system. 

Many people come to prison with very little or no healthy support system in their lives prior to their incarceration. Since one's support system normally decreases during incarceration, for those who had little to begin with the end result is often no support system at all. The number of people on probation and parole makes it impossible for the Department of Corrections to adequately support returning citizens as they transition back to free society, but they are expected to succeed nonetheless. With little to no outside support, many prisoners flounder as they try to reintegrate into society. The end result is that many return to familiar patterns of coping with stress and uncertainty. Prisoners who have never had experience as productive members of their communities are left to figure that out on their own, while trying to find housing and maintain a job, obtain transportation, and take care of their basic needs. 

Uncertainty is a normal part of life, and prisoners are no less prone to experience it as others, but a prisoner's transition back to society, especially after a lengthy sentence like my friend Rafael has served, is a highly stressful and uncertain time. Free citizens may be (understandably) reluctant to get involved with a felon coming out of prison, but these returning citizens need support to successfully transition back to society. We want returning citizens to be safe and productive members of their community, but belonging to a community means thriving in a supportive environment. It means being embraced, flaws and all, and made to feel a sense of belonging, even in the midst of uncertainty.