Description of Facilitated Group Discussion Participants

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Description of Facilitated Group Discussion Participants

To identify people with lived experience in the justice system to participate in the group discussions, AIR staff developed promotional materials that we shared with federally funded Second Chance Act programs, which shared the information through their networks. The goal was to identify up to 100 men and women released from incarceration more than 6 months prior to their participation in the group discussions. All group discussions were held virtually using Zoom, and we offered a range of time slots to maximize the likelihood that individuals would find a convenient time for their schedule. For most of the group discussions, participants connected to Zoom using their own device. However, for a small number of group discussions, participants convened in a single conference room, while still connected on Zoom during the conversations. CCETAC staff from AIR and facilitators from JLUSA held 15 separate group discussions with 83 participants (43 who identified as women and 40 as men) from 23 states.

Characteristics of Participants

The participants had a broad range of experience. Some had been out for as little as one month (we allowed some flexibility on the criteria to participate in this project) and others for more than 20 years. We captured insights and reflections from a diverse group in terms of where individuals were in reentry (i.e., how long since their release) and what was available to them at their release. Some participants were running nonprofit organizations, writing books, or completing graduate degree programs; others were still trying to land on their feet with no idea what the future holds or no experience yet in looking for employment. For the portion of participants that provided precise dates of release (N = 59), the median length of time after release from incarceration was 1 year and 11 months, ranging from only 30 days to more than 20 years for some participants.

To begin each group discussion, we oriented the participants to the use of poll questions by asking about demographic factors. Fewer than half of the participants (N = 37) responded to the questions in this introductory portion of the discussion. Among those responding to the poll questions, 33% identified as Black, 33% White, 19% Native American/Indian,¹ 10% Latino/Latina, and 5% “Other.” Only 5% reported experiencing homelessness at the time of the group discussion. We asked the participants to report their age in ranges (e.g., between 26 and 35), and most were between 36 and 50 years old (44%), with 36% indicating they were 51 years or older, and 19% indicating they were between 26 and 35 years old.

Results From the Poll Questions

Participants were asked 20 poll questions about their experience both during and after incarceration. Many participants shared similar characteristics to one another. For example, most of the participants knew how to use the internet, a computer, or email (97%) and had an addiction to drugs or alcohol (71%). Notably, most participants did not have child support responsibilities affecting their ability to reenter society. In addition, many felt as if they have found a pathway to recovery that works for them (73%) and felt integrated back into their community (93%) since their release.

Exhibit 1. Breakdown of Results from Poll Questions

Polling questions	N	Yes (%)	No (%)	N/A (%)
Have you had problems obtaining employment because of your conviction?	39	26 (67%)	13 (33%)	0 (0%)
Do you know how to use the internet, computers, or email?	36	35 (97%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)
Did you receive any assistance with preparing for work (résumé development, application completion, mock interviews) prior to release?	35	18 (51%)	16 (46%)	1 (3%)
Were you ever told that you couldn’t reside in or reenter housing because of your conviction?	38	19 (50%)	17 (45%)	2 (5%)
Have you ever been forced to reside in or denied access to a shelter because of your conviction?	34	8 (24%)	26 (76%)	0 (0%)
Have you been taught how to manage or navigate healthcare services?	38	14 (37%)	24 (63%)	0 (0%)
Did you have access to adequate healthcare in the facility, including care for chronic conditions?	34	>10 (29%)	24 (71%)	0 (0%)
Before you were released, were resources arranged for you to address your mental health concerns?	37	8 (22%)	24 (65%)	5 (14%)
Have you ever received any assistance to address mental health issues related to incarceration? (such as stress or panic attacks)	29	4 (14%)	25 (86%)	0 (0%)
When you were released, did you have to pay for mental health services?	29	6 (21%)	16 (55%)	7 (24%)
Has any type of addiction to drugs or alcohol contributed to your conviction?	31	22 (71%)	9 (29%)	0 (0%)
Have you ever been denied treatment for a substance use disorder because of your conviction?	30	0 (0%)	25 (83%)	5 (17%)
Have you found a pathway to recovery that works for you?	26	19 (73%)	1 (4%)	6 (23%)
While incarcerated, did you participate in, or were you required to participate in, any parenting classes?	32	13 (41%)	16 (50%)	3 (9%)
Have child support responsibilities affected your ability to reenter society successfully?	28	4 (14%)	17 (61%)	7 (25%)
Have your charges prevented you from reuniting with your family?	28	10 (36%)	18 (64%)	0 (0%)
Do you feel that you have integrated back into your community since your release?	30	28 (93%)	2 (7%)	0 (0%)
Was there a reentry program/office in the correctional facility that assisted you prior to your release?	27	16 (59%)	9 (33%)	2 (7%)
Did your parole officer provide you with assistance to ease your transition?	22	8 (36%)	13 (59%)	1 (5%)
Would it be helpful if someone from your community was there to help you prior to your release with integrating back into your community?	27	24 (89%)	2 (7%)	1 (4%)

¹ We strove to reach out to tribal grantees in identifying potential participants, so this population is overrepresented.