Finding Solutions: ReNforce looks to spark change for justice-impacted individuals
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - April is Second Chance Month and a time to raise awareness about the obstacles those returning from incarceration face.
On Wednesday, the non-profit ReNforce, which serves those who are justice-impacted, held the Second Chance Conference.
They’re finding solutions in forming a conversation around what it’s like to walk in the shoes of these individuals.
“It has shown me how difficult it is to navigate the system and how if you aren’t facing one barrier, you’re facing another,” said Anna Atma, a re-entry simulation participant.
Atma is one of dozens of people participating in a re-entry simulation.
They’re given a new identity as someone who was once incarcerated and are now navigating the world around them.
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“So I am right now living as Stacy,” said Atma. “I have a GED, I served three years in state prison for breaking and entering. I have disability, $710 a month, but I live with a pen pal prison partner and his two children.”
This is just one of many different scenarios people are in as they now have to work on completing their re-entry goals.
Whether that’s finding a job, housing, seeing a probation or parole officer, or even getting a state ID.
“We wanted this simulation to be hands-on because we really want the community to be immersed in what the re-entry experience is like in the hope for them to gain empathy,” said Charlotte Garnes, founder and executive director of ReNforce.
And while many people were portraying the role of a justice-impacted individual, others were portraying the role of employees at the bank, counseling centers, transportation facilities, or dmv. All the services someone who is returning from incarceration may need.
“There were long lines formed at my station, and I could see the frustrations that it caused people, and a lot of people who went through the simulation mentioned that one of the first things they needed to get was a state ID, which not a lot of people know,” said Chuck McKee, a participant.
Some people in the simulation were able to find jobs, others were able to get food and pay rent, while some simply ended up back in jail.
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“I went to my pay restitution, and I was a week late, and I ended up in jail,” said Atma.
An eye-opening experience for everyone.
District Attorney Jared Williams says it’s important to break the cycle and help.
“My question is what can we do to make sure that person doesn’t come back,” said Williams. “If all we’re doing is chasing the conviction then we’re just kicking the can down the road, but if we start thinking about how we can rehabilitate and change lives, we can save lives.”
This is something ReNforce hopes to do again.
If you are a justice-impacted individual and in need of resources, ReNforce is here to you.
They have an office downtown and you can find their website at https://renforce.org/.
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