Life After Release — Discussion Recap
Last Thursday, TechEquity hosted a conversation about the barriers formerly incarcerated people continue to face, even after they are released from prison. Unjust barriers to a healthy and stable life upon release are everywhere, from housing to employment to critical social services.
The panel discussion was hosted by TechEquity’s Director of South Bay Programming, Fahad Qurashi. The panelists were John Jones III, a formerly incarcerated activist and Director of Community and Political Engagement at Just Cities (formerly called the Dellums Institute for Social Justice); Jon-Paul Ales-Barnicoat, Senior Vice President of Employee Experience at Fandom; and Geoffrea Morris, Reentry Policy Planner at Reentry Division of the San Francisco Adult Probation Department.
Check out our livetweet thread here:
Fahad began the conversation by breaking down the reality of mass incarceration in the United States with some facts. Currently there are 7 million people in the U.S. justice system. Of those 7 million, 3.7 million are on probation, 2.3 million are in correctional facilities and 840,000 are on parole (Prison Policy Initiative 2018).
The room stood quiet, not just because the numbers were outrageous but because Fahad introduced the complexity of our justice system and the impacts people face after they are “thrown out” of the system.
As the panelists spoke, two key points of conversation emerged; first, formerly incarcerated people are people, and second, tech can help break down some of the barriers they face.
Opportunity through Tech
Through his work at Fandom, Jon-Paul Ales-Barnicoat has recognized how tech can bring forth real impact that benefit the current and formerly incarcerated community. Through his work with Fandom’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, Ales-Barnicoat has been able to actively recruit formerly incarcerated people.
Ales-Barnicoat argued that diversity and inclusion should be discussed at every level of a company’s infrastructure, all the way from executive board meetings, to peer-to-peer conversations and everything in between. In order for diversity and inclusion to really play a role and shift company culture, it has to always remain at the forefront.
Ales-Barnicoat expressed that “We want to eliminate all barriers, and give passionate people the ability to do what they care about.” One of the ways he is able to directly recruit formerly incarcerated people is through a program called The Last Mile, where people are able to learn how to code while serving time on the inside. Some of the most hard-working and dedicated people Ales-Barnicoat met were participants in the Last Mile program.
Ales-Barnicoat talked about how quickly formerly incarcerated people have assimilated within tech companies, all the while still staying true to who they were. When asked about difficulties the program has faced, Ales-Barnicoat quickly responded with “housing.” Many of the folks Ales-Barnicoat hires cannot afford to live here in the Bay Area and end up moving farther out to places like Stockton and Sacramento, places that do not have the same tech opportunities available.
Ales-Barnicoat hopes to see more tech companies actively hire formerly incarcerated people. It is important for tech companies to actively participate in initiatives such as The Last Mile, but also follow up with people after release. Through providing a stable salary, Ales-Barnicoat is hopeful that the rest of the barriers will begin to crumble.
Geoffrea Morris spoke about the ways in which the tech community could get involved. She views tech as a crucial way to improve social services for folks coming out of jail. Morris urged, “Come to the table and help us innovate! Help us fix our websites, help us prototype automatic expungement systems, jump in and get to work.”
A common barrier after release is not having the right information on where or how to get help. Social services with information on case management, finding employment, or securing a meal are not as accessible online as one may think. With so many agencies providing multiple unique services, sharing information with one another is almost nonexistent, making it harder for service providers to understand a client’s full history or needs.
Tech workers and companies should actively work harder to become more involved. However, often times people are left with the question: what can I do as an individual? Jones III advised “There are two main units of power in organizing: money, and people. You can always donate, but you can also create real human connections and relationships. Talk to people and learn your history.”
Breaking Down the Word Offender
Geoffrea Morris described her upbringing in the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco. Her community was — and is — filled with environmental racism, poverty, and government policies that created more harm than good. Morris exclaimed “Some of us who grew up in disadvantaged communities were incarcerated even before we were incarcerated!”
Morris shared a story of when she was first working with formerly incarcerated people. She had been referring to them as “offenders” without realizing the repercussions of that word on people. Morris explained “When you call someone an offender, it’s like calling someone a liar every time you introduce them because you lied once before. People who have been incarcerated are people, first and foremost.”
The language that we use is a quiet but powerful barrier that formerly incarcerated people face. The stigmas and negative connotations of words like “offender” continue to reinforce trauma and inhibit formerly incarcerated people from being viewed, both externally and internally, as people.
John Jones III chimed in to assert that the reentry community is not a monolithic one. Everyone’s story is different, therefore we should actively get to know people. Jones III stated “ The idea of second chance doesn’t exist if you never had a first chance.”
Jones III indicated that many people have the belief that the system is broken — however, he believes the system is working exactly as it was designed. The prison industrial complex is built around creating profit from the unpaid or low-wage labor of people on the inside. The system, left unaltered, will continue to profit at the expense of communities of color plagued with injustice.
John Jones III left the audience with a profound final statement: “Remember this: evil succeeds when good people do nothing.”
But you can do something! TechEquity Collaborative and Just Cities have launched the Fair Chance to Housing Campaign to prevent landlords from discriminating against formerly incarcerated people in rental housing applications in Alameda County.
Whether you want to sign up to volunteer or can donate to the campaign, these are actionable things you can do today to help remove a barrier for people in our own backyard!
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