Pro Bono News

Why Aiding Prisoner Reentry Demands 'A Bigger Effort' (NY)

Sunday, June 30, 2019

Why Aiding Prisoner Reentry Demands 'A Bigger Effort'

"For people leaving prison, “$40 and a bus ticket” isn’t enough to keep them on the right path.

That was the message from Rob DeLeon, the associate vice president of programs at reentry services provider The Fortune Society, during a June 25 panel hosted by Proskauer Rose LLP in Manhattan. DeLeon knows firsthand, having served 10 years in prison before reentering society.

“We need to make a bigger effort, as a society, of reaching out and saying, ‘There is a landing path for individuals when they come home from prison,’” DeLeon said.

In a glass-paneled room high above Times Square, representatives from academia, BigLaw and pro bono services providers met to discuss reentry challenges that face formerly incarcerated individuals after they’re released — and how the legal community can help.

That help, panelists said, can mean providing assistance with record-sealing laws, touting the value of hiring formerly incarcerated people and ensuring access to mental health services..."

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