Fresh Out

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This is a sample from an essay that I recently wrote on Ex-Offenders reentry back into society:

Being guilty can change the rest of your life in a court of law. Please allow me to chauffeur you into the world of crime , social injustice and societal stigmas. Please allow me to introduce you to ex offenders. Step back and let me be your guide,as you will begin to see some of the most troubled in our society in a different way.

Many people would say that the public should be able to view criminal records as suggested by Kathleen Joyner a writer for the Daily Times or that barring ex-offenders from jobs that have nothing to do with your job is lawful and makes sense as Lisa Seville, a writer with The Crime Report.org researched. I am willing to argue that by observing ex-offenders re-entry into society through high school and cliques associated with it, we can come to the conclusion that ex-offenders are not the popular kids or even the academics. But they are quite the opposite, they are the ones that acted out and eventually ended up slipping through the cracks because no one paid attention to a “trouble maker”. Using high school as a lens for society I feel that I can best explain the plight of the ex-offender. For whatever reason, and many reasons can be found, the ex-offender did not follow the law. Just like for many reasons a student acts out in school. And by doing this,these individuals incur consequences, which do not just affect them in that moment. This demographic shouldn’t be treated for what they have done, but yet for what they have learned and what they can accomplish in the future. And there are many things that we can do to help ex-offenders positively reintegrate back into society, and become fully functioning citizens once again.

Check out:

‪I Am A Felon-Life After Prison Part 1 which gives even more insight into what ex-offenders can accomplish after imprisonment.