Inmate ‘re-entry simulation’ demonstrates difficulties that lead to Illinois 50% recidivism rate

FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) — Elisabeth Hanson was one of dozens who participated in a simulation of what life can be like after prison, which took place Tuesday at Highland Community College.

From getting an ID to applying for a job, Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois put on a “re-entry simulation” to “make awareness of the difficulties individuals have when they get released,” according to Tiara Sims, who led the simulation.

“I felt really defeated,” Hanson said of her efforts to get her simulated life back on track.

Illinois has a recidivism rate of nearly 50%, meaning almost half of released inmates return to prison.

Sims said the simulation demonstrated the challenges they face, and why many return to jail.

“They have hope [that] things are going to be better for them. The ID that Social Security card, their birth certificate is a barrier for them,” Sims said. “You can’t get a job, you can’t pay for rent, you can’t get food unless you go to the food bank. And even then, you still need your ID, correct? So. you just don’t have those things, and you’re frustrated by week four. So you give up, and you’re like, ‘You know what? I might as well go back to jail because this is where I was safe. This is where I had food, I had a bed, so I had a roof over my head and I was safe.'”

Henson said the experience gave her a greater understanding and she would help others get their lives back.

“This is really an eye-opener, to show what individuals, that have barriers, go through,” she said. “The biggest thing is to be kind, be willing to help, and help those individuals, to ask, ‘How can I help?”