How to Help Someone Coming Out of the Criminal Justice System

If you’ve been supporting someone through their time in prison or jail, they’ll likely need more support now than ever. They may have to adjust to a new job or way of life, which can make them feel overwhelmed and isolated. It’s important to offer encouragement and emotional support if your friend or family member is coming out of the criminal justice system. This piece will discuss some simple ways to help an ex-convict reintegrate into the community comfortably.

Where Should You Start?

Here are some ideas:

Facilitate Their Transportation

If they are going to rely on public transportation, bus fare is a good idea. When giving money, make it at least worth it. Do not give thousands of dollars, as this can backfire and lead to resentment or theft. The person has had no income for a while, so they may need at least $20 to buy lunch and get home.

Get Them a Safe and Cozy Place to Stay

Finding a safe place to stay after leaving prison can be challenging, especially if you’ve been in prison for some time. It’s essential to find somewhere that’s affordable and easy to get to, with good amenities. A good support network is also vital for your well-being when coming home from jail.

Be sure the former inmate has somewhere safe and cozy to go immediately upon release from jail. Remember to consider the importance of this step towards their achievement of freedom. It will help them regain confidence and self-esteem, making their life after prison easier.

Emotional Help

The whole experience is overwhelming and confusing, especially if it’s their first time. As important as it is to get the person released from custody physically, you also need to take care of their emotional well-being. Here are some ideas:

Consider Their Mental Health

Give them good contact info for a therapist or any other medical professionals who could help them in the future.

You may call a therapist before they are released, tell them you are worried about the person and ask if they can see the person within a few days of release. If not, ask if they can give you contact info for a therapist in the community. However, ask them if they are interested rather than forcing therapy on someone.

A Little Effort Is Significant

Your effort is paramount. It can be challenging to get life back on track after being convicted. You need to show them that you care, but you can only expect them to improve with your help.

If your loved one struggles with substance abuse or mental health issues, they must seek treatment to recover fully and lead healthy lives. The following tips will help you support the former inmate through this process:

Be there for them during the difficult times when they feel down about themselves or depressed about their situation in life.
Listen when they want to talk about their feelings without judging them or offering advice unless asked for it first.
Encourage them in any way possible, whenever possible, while showing compassion towards their feelings. Note that you should avoid being pushy.

Don’t Judge

The first thing you should do is stop judging. It’s hard, but try not to judge the person, their actions, or their situation. It’s challenging, especially if it involves someone in your family or close friends. The criminal justice system can be awful, and your instinct may be to lash out at it instead of trying to understand it. You may even feel like blaming the victim for being involved with a crime in the first place. Don’t do this! If someone has been through the criminal justice system, they probably have already suffered enough in their life, do not add more pain by judging them unfairly.

Ask Questions

If you’re able to ask questions, do it. Asking questions isn’t just a way of learning about another person; it also helps them feel supported and understood.

Here are some examples of questions that may help:

What was your experience in prison?
How did you feel when you were released from prison?
What would have helped you during this time?
Do you know anyone else who has been through this experience, and what did they say about their experience?

Learn About Their Experience

Asking them about their experience is a great way to understand more about what they went through. You may learn new things about the court system and its process that can help you better support your friend.

You should ask them what they took from experience once. Did they take away lessons that they’re using today? How did they feel after being released? Did they wish things could have been different?

Be Their Shoulder to Learn On

The first step in helping someone come out of the criminal justice system is understanding their feelings. While you might be able to relate to their experience and offer some advice, it’s important not to assume that your feelings are the same as theirs.

When people are just getting back into society after incarceration, it can be hard to trust others and rely on anyone again. It may take some time before they’re ready for deeper connections with family members or friends, so it’s best not to expect much from them immediately—but that doesn’t mean you should wait until then before reaching out! Even small gestures can make a big difference in helping someone feel like they aren’t alone:

Involve Them in Decision Making

The former inmate needs to feel like they have a say in the process. They will likely follow through on your suggestions if they have a say in the process. It will help them feel like they are taking control of their lives, which most people coming out of prison do not have.

Listen to their ideas and take them seriously. If someone tells you what they want, it means a lot when you agree with the person and follows through on what they want; it shows them that there are people who care about what they think and feel, which can make all the difference in their life.

Take Their Side of the Story Seriously

It’s tricky, but taking their side of the story is essential. It’s difficult when you feel you don’t know enough about what happened or your friend is vague about details. But it’s important not to dismiss their experiences or assume that they are lying (even if they are).

If your friend comes out with a story that sounds hard to believe, don’t try to make them look like victims. Rather than blaming them for what happened and making assumptions about what happened based on stereotypes like those around sex offenders in general and police officers in particular (or whatever), try listening without judgment while asking open-ended questions like “How did this happen?”

Offer Conditional Love and Support

Ask them how they feel about the situation. It shows that you are open to hearing about their feelings and offer them an opportunity to express themselves if they want to. If you’re unsure what to say, a safe option is always just offering a shoulder to cry on (whether or not you offer physical support). You can also offer any help that seems appropriate at the time. Whether it’s listening carefully and actively, reading over their legal paperwork for them, so they don’t have to deal with it or picking up some groceries. Hence, ensure they are more relaxed by financial concerns as well.

If there’s anything specific that could make life easier while coming out of prison or jail—for example, helping them find transportation home after release—offer your support! Again, don’t assume this person wants or needs anything from you beyond love and friendship.

Getting them Financially Stable

The former inmate may have difficulty keeping up with bills and rent. They may need help setting up a credit account or buying food without worrying about the store charging them for late payments. Helping former inmates get financially stable is essential because debt can put them in even more trouble. Here is how to:

Get Them a Job if You Can

It can be helpful for people who’ve just left jail or prison to have a job.

Make sure the following to make their transition easier:

The job is manageable
The job is close to where they live, or their family members live.
They will not have to traverse through dangerous areas on their way home from work each day.
See to it that they are paying them enough money so they can buy food and other necessities without going into debt again within a month or two after starting work.

Help Them Prepare for Their Interviews

If jobs are available to former inmates, ensure they’re applying everywhere, not just places where they think they’ll likely get hired. If they need a different place, you can suggest another place for them to try.

Suppose the person has a job interview with a potential employer who might be willing to hire ex-convicts but needs more experience or education. In that case, it’s helpful for them to have someone there for support and advice during this process.

You can help them prepare for questions about their background so that when asked about it in an interview setting (or by potential employers), the response comes across as positive and confident rather than defensive or apologetic.

Create a Resume if They Don’t Have One

If you are helping someone write their resume, you can use a template to create one for them. You can also use your own words to describe what they have done in their jobs, even if they do not have formal job titles. Ask them what they want to do and find the skills that relate to it.

Help Them Use Them Put To Use Their Skills Learned in Jail

If they were in jail for long enough, they learned something to help them in one way or another. It could be how to read, write, make furniture, cook or fix cars. It will become easier for them to get a job, depending on the number of skills they can display.

It will help your friend or family member feel more in control of their life and keep them from returning to the system. Here are some things you can do:

Find out what they want to do with their life
What skills have they acquired while in jail
Find out what skills they need to learn if they don’t already have them

Introduce Them to the Right People

Many people can help former convicts get back on their feet after prison, but finding the right ones is essential. A social worker and parole officer are great starting points, but they may need help to provide the services with the person needs.

Here are some other places to look:

A mentor. Someone who has walked in their shoes and lived through similar experiences can advise from experience instead of just theory or hearsay. Mentors should know what resources are available in their community and how to access them, so make sure the mentor has been out of the system for at least five years or more.
A job or career path jives with their values and interests. If they need to know what kind of work might be right for them, get a career coach. Try asking friends who have jobs they like; maybe they’ll have ideas about what jobs would suit their personalities.

Being there for someone coming out of the criminal justice system is essential. The process can be emotionally draining. Therefore, the former inmate must know you are there for them. They need to feel your support and encouragement, and they also need you to listen. Make sure they know that you understand their feelings and why they feel a certain way about what happened.