Co-authored with Dr. Roger Barnes, Emeritus Professor in Sociology at The University of the Incarnate Word.
Originally published in the San Antonio Express-News, June 28, 2023.
In his book, The Decent Society, Rabbi Avishai Margalit believes that such a society is one whose institutions and beliefs do not humiliate people. Instead, all members are shown respect by recognizing their intrinsic value.
A new, 32-minute documentary, “Home/Free,” shows that recognizing intrinsic value can be difficult.
The documentary focuses on three individuals who have served prison time and are now rebuilding their lives in the midst of a system that continues to incarcerate them.
They find it difficult, if not impossible, to have their criminal records wiped clean, to be employed and to escape continued punishment. Even outside of prison, they are kept outside of society.
One of the three, Marcus Bullock, observes: “I have a felony tattooed on my chest.”
The documentary was created by the chief executive officer of “The Clean Slate Initiative,” Sheena Meade, and is narrated by singer and songwriter, John Legend.
The documentary attracted our interest because we both have experience teaching in prison settings. We have witnessed prisoners struggle to rebuild their lives. After incarceration, we have seen the difficulties ex-offenders face in reentering the social mainstream.
Another of the three, Anthony Ray Hinton, served more than 30 years on Alabama’s death row for a murder he did not commit.
He says, “After spending 30 years behind bars, you have no medical insurance. You have no place to live, no job. How does one pay the rent, if they have no job? How does one go and buy clothes, if they have no job? How do you buy food, if you have no job?”
Hinton concludes, “Freedom is not the way that I always thought it would be.”
That sentiment is echoed by Bullock, who says, “Home is not what you imagine it to be.”
This problem is massive, as one in four Americans has a record. Legend points out that “33 million children in America have a parent with a record.”
America has the highest incarceration rate in the world. The documentary adds that “113 million adults have an immediate family member who is formerly or currently incarcerated.”
But, most prisoners are eventually released back into society.
Who is there for them?
Sadly, for many the answer is “nobody.” Jessica Bonanno was in that situation: “My family didn’t talk to me for 10 years after (my) release.”
Bullock had the same experience, saying, “A lot of my family members weren’t there for me.”
Added to the absence of social and economic support are the legal barriers to reintegration. John Legend reports that “48,000 legal barriers (are) faced by people with records.”
And then there is the reality of being rejected. Bullock comments, “The anxiety of a background check will stop a lot of people from applying in lots of places. It’s soul crushing.”
Of course, there is unemployment and life on the street for many released from prison.
The documentary states that the “unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated people is five times higher than the general population.”
The result is that “formerly incarcerated people are 10 times more likely to be unhoused/homeless than the general public.”
Can one “make it” after being released from prison? The short answer is yes, but one needs a lot of support—social, economic, even religious support—and a fair amount of luck.
And it would certainly help if we reduced the degree of humiliation and stigmatization faced by the formerly incarcerated.
The documentary notes that 27 states restrict the voting rights for formerly incarcerated people.
The reality for too many is that one pays his/her debt to society through prison time, but after release from prison, they keep paying and paying. There is no forgiveness. There is no clean slate or fresh start.
In this sense, America certainly does not qualify for Rabbi Margalit’s label of being a “decent society.”
What is to be done? The documentary directs the viewer to explore projects like the Equal Justice Initiative, Next Chapter, and Clean Slate Initiative.
These are various efforts at helping, not hurting, those released from prison.
We might also try reducing the stigma and condemnation attached to ex-offenders, too.