Inside Out: Lessons from a Reentry Simulation on Systems, Schools, and Real Second Chances
The room buzzed like a train station at rush hour. We had just been handed our “new lives”: a wallet with an identity sheet, a life card full of tasks, and a handful of bus tickets. This was no game; it was a Reentry Simulation hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. For two hours, we were asked to walk in the shoes of someone returning home from prison.
We were told we had one “month” to find work, comply with probation, attend treatment, pay bills, buy food, get drug tests, secure identification and, if possible, stay out of jail. The exercise broke our month into four frantic fifteen-minute segments. We hustled from station to station, lining up for services, only to be sent back because we lacked the right documents or money. Trap doors and temptations were built in. Even with our professional jobs and real-world advantages, many of us “failed.”
Imagine doing this not as a simulation but as your actual life. Imagine navigating it after years behind walls, with trauma, stigma, and limited resources. Imagine facing service workers who, at best, are indifferent and, at worst, hostile. We had bus tickets and instructions; real people often have less.
For the people inside, surviving that world while protecting their humanity and their families requires unfathomable strength and once, they’re home more than just a moment or two is needed to successfully make the “journey back.”
After the simulation, a panel of formerly incarcerated people shared their stories. One mother kept up with her daughter’s schoolwork by writing teachers from prison. After release, she earned a doctorate and started a foundation. Her story, and those of others reminded me of Black motherhood’s beauty and resilience and my own responsibility as an educator and community member to be intentionally inclusive. I was especially moved to reflect on the work of Dr. LaTwyne Wise out of Drexel University, who in her work and as a teacher-leader shows commitment to supporting new teachers in becoming thoughtful and inclusive educators. Her leadership highlights how essential it is for educators to grasp the lived experiences of students and families, particularly within special education and among those affected by incarceration.
What the Simulation Showed Me
It’s exhausting on every level, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and psychologically just to do the smallest tasks.
The system is set up to fail people as it is often overly reliant on convoluted processes and paperwork.
We already spend resources on control. Why not spend them on support? Basic IDs, mental health care, and family preparation would cost less than revolving-door incarceration.
Why This Matters for Professionals
For those of us working at the intersection of education, workforce development, and economic opportunity, this simulation is a mirror as well and an exercise in empathy. Our policies, programs, and classrooms can either perpetuate barriers or actively dismantle them. When we advocate for inclusive hiring, equitable school funding, trauma-informed practices, and reentry support, we’re investing in human capital, community stability, and the long-term economic health of our cities.
My Takeaway
The simulation was a piercing reminder to be more grateful, more aware, more gracious, and more generous with whatever capacity I have. Because one day, any of us might need to rely on a system we didn’t design and can’t control. As professionals, we have an obligation to design programs and policies that comply with legal standards and center dignity and access, making reentry a true bridge to opportunity, success, and thriving.
Take Action
Learn more about reentry challenges: Project HOME, PA Prison Society, Philadelphia Reentry Coalition
Volunteer or partner: Many nonprofits welcome guest speakers, mentors, and pro bono professional services.
Advocate for policy change: Support legislation and school district policies that fund trauma-informed education, career pathways, and fair hiring for returning citizens.
#ReentryMatters #EducationalEquity #WorkforceOpportunity #EmpathysEdge