The barriers to reentering society after prison

Jay Jordan:

I’m you did — let’s level-set.

I took a plea deal; 98 percent — my research director is in the audience, so you might — so, 95 percent — let’s say 90-plus percent of people with criminal records like myself, we took a plea deal, right? So, we sat down. And we did the crime. We are literally saying, OK, I’m going to do my time. We got a deal.

Most people take a plea deal, right? Now, on that plea deal, it’s a plea sheet. And they tell you the amount of time you’re going to do. I got seven years. They tell you if you got any strikes. I got two strikes. And tell you, like, your restrictions. You can’t own a gun. And that’s it, right? You can’t own a gun. You can’t get proximate to the victim.

There’s a few things they tell you. Nowhere on that do they tell you about these collateral consequences that are triggered after you get out. So, something about these 40,000 legal restrictions, 50 percent are employment-related. Most of them are lifetime bans.

So, not only can I — I can’t access that part of the economy, but I can never adopt a kid. I can never adopt a kid. I have a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old. I cannot volunteer at their kids’ school. They had volunteer shortages because of COVID.

When I got the form to volunteer, that big question, have you ever been convicted of a felony? I can’t even volunteer at my own kids’ school. We just bought a house. I can’t — I can’t even join the HOA, right? I can never coach my son’s little league team. I can’t ride on the bus with him to field trips.

So it’s not just about, right, the economy. It’s about my humanity. It’s about the humanity of the people. At some point in time, we have to say, is this about just checking a box and getting people back to work? I have a job. But it’s about my humanity.

But I love the term returning citizens. I love Desmond Meade. Shout-out to Desmond Meade and the whole Florida Rights Restoration Coalition that coined that term. But how are we even citizens? How am I a full citizen if I’m locked out of the economy, I’m locked out of my society, and I’m locked out of my child’s life?

This is about the humanity and the soul of this country. It’s not just about reentry.