Byline: Kayla Friedrich
[SPOKANE, Wash.] Many incarcerated individuals are forced to navigate the reentry process with little to no expectation of what’s to come when they begin rediscovering an average daily routine.
On Thursday, Community Partnership for Transition Solutions hosted a reentry simulation where attendees felt the frustration of what’s it’s like to come up against the lose-lose scenarios faced by people reentering society after years of incarceration.
A large group of Spokane Community College employees from Airway Heights Corrections Center and Spokane County’s designated reentry program navigator Dr. Suzanne Phillips attended the event as volunteers or reentry individuals.
The simulation was divided between two rooms. In one, each volunteer sat at their resource stations, representing organizations like Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, suboxone clinics, a transportation station, the probation department, a plasma donation center, career services and alcoholics anonymous meetings — just to name a few.
Participants were given a packet with a name tag, their scenario before, during and after incarceration, parole guidelines, and a couple of bucks to get them started on what would be a four week-long fight towards stability. About 10 minutes represented one week of reentry for participants.
Between trying to secure employment, figure out housing options, buying food, some couldn’t make it to the parole office soon enough and would go back to jail for another week of the simulation, showing how easily the barriers of the reentry process can force people back into incarceration.
Amanda Shive-Stanton was one of many attendees from SCC and has worked in Airway Heights Correction Center Corrections Education for nearly two years.
“I did it a year ago and that time I was set up for success,” Shive-Stanton said. “This time around was definitely more frustrating. I tried to prioritize and figure out what to do first, but then everything flew out the window.”
Shive-Stanton said this experience makes her feel a deeper sense of obligation to find local resources that can help people navigating reentry.
SCC works with the Department of Corrections to provide incarcerated people with the opportunity to receive an education that will help give them stable pathways after their release. This simulation gave participating staff and faculty a better understanding of ways to support the populations they educate.