TAMPA, Fla. — When people are released from prison, they face a whole new set of challenges, from finding transportation to securing employment and housing.
The ABC Action News I-Team went to a simulation put on by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) for the Tampa Bay Criminal Justice Summit to show the public the realities of those first few weeks after release.
I-Team Series | Crisis in Corrections
“It is a simulation of a month, of the first month of getting out of prison," FDC's Assistant Chief of Transition Services Nichole Landrum told a room full of participants.
Each participant received a folder containing their new identity for the simulation, including information about how long they were in prison and what for, how much money they have, and what form of identification.
“About 90% of our population are releasing back into our communities," Landrum said.
FDC began these types of simulations two years ago.
“We just really wanted you all to kind of feel a little bit of anxiety, a little minute bit of what our population experiences every day they’re released from incarceration," Landrum said.
There were four rounds that lasted just minutes. Each round represented one week. A flurry of questions filled the room as participants went to different tables, representing everything from work and probation to social services and a location to donate plasma.
“Can I buy a transportation ticket?” Jackie Dunn asked during the simulation.
“I have only a birth certificate. I don’t have an ID, I don’t have a social security card," Antron McNeil said, showing the contents of his folder.
“I have done my time, and so you’re making it even more difficult for me. Where’s your empathy?” Pamela Reynolds asked at the table representing medical coverage.
“I know it’s just fake, but — this is like real," Pamela Wilson-Caruthers, a professional development instructor who helps people formerly incarcerated re-enter society, told the I-Team.
Wilson-Caruthers said the simulation was helping her to understand even more what her clients go through.
"I love them, but I have even more love and want to make sure I support and do everything I can for them. Because this is really real," she said, wiping away tears and opening up her folder for the simulation. "I have one transportation ticket left and $10. I haven’t been to probation in two weeks. This is the third week, so I’m going to end up back in jail. So I can see the pattern happening with the clients.”
Fellow participant Connie Burton said at every turn, it was constant roadblocks. Through the simulation, she experienced a dose of what she said her loved ones had gone through.
“I see the constant struggle and pain of people that’s simply trying to be successful with a second chance," Burton said.
The Tampa Bay Criminal Justice Summit continues on Saturday, October 21. Tickets are still available.
To learn more about how to get involved with a future simulation, contact the Florida Department of Corrections Office of Programs and Re-Entry.
