Some thoughts by re-entry expert and ex-con Larry Lawton
Although financial responsibility is a part of an ex-offender’s rehabilitation it can also hinder the ex-offender by saddling him or her with a financial obligation that is impossible to address.
An ex-offender has to understand that the single most important thing they can do to maintain their freedom is not get caught up in the blame game or getting bitter. The #1 reason a person goes back to prison is they lose hope and become bitter.
Don’t lie to your probation officer or community control officer. Write everything down on paper and don’t beat yourself up if you can’t contribute to the sanction that was opposed. Showing the probation officer and a Judge you are trying and you are organized will go a long way towards your eventual full reintegration back into society.
Take one day at a time and always think back to where you just came from. Everyone runs into difficulties, but as an ex-offender you were in a place that is as low as it gets. Think back to the times a guard degraded you, lock-downs, the holding cells, shackles and belly chains and all the other things that a normal person who hasn’t been through what you have could not even imagine.
Think Air, shelter, food, water and worry about that. Stress does no one any good and take one day at a time.
Good luck and never give up.
Larry Lawton
President
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