Corrections_Today_Spring_2025_Vol.87_No.1

Introduction A Reentry Simulation is an interactive from incarceration to life in society (Moak, Walker, Earwood, and Towery 2020). This hands-on exercise replicates the complex decisions, frustrations and significant roadblocks that returning citizens encounter on their journey to reintegrate into their communities. Participants — typically probation officers, social workers, community partners and other stakeholders — gain a deeper understanding of the harsh realities of reentry while fostering empathy and insight that can translate into more effective support for individuals under supervision (Reeves 2020). During the simulation, participants are assigned a fictional identity, complete with a criminal background, probation requirements and personal challenges such as obtaining identification, finding employment, securing housing and accessing transportation. These identities are based on real-life scenarios to ensure the experience is as realistic as possible. Over a set period, participants must navigate a series of stations that represent various aspects of post-incarceration life, including visits to probation of ficers, job interviews, court appearances and social service agencies (Cook 2020). Each station also provides specific tasks or challenges that must be completed within a lim ited timeframe, mimicking the pressure and urgency that individuals under supervision often feel. One of the most powerful aspects of the simulation is its focus on the overwhelming difficulty of reentering society. Participants quickly discover that even minor setbacks — like missing a bus or being late to an ap pointment — can have significant consequences, such as additional legal trouble or loss of access to crucial resources (Goger, Harding, and Henderson 2021). The simulation illustrates how these seemingly small hurdles can compound into larger, systemic challenges that make successful reintegration nearly impossible for some. It also highlights how the lack of coordination among services, delays and limited access to support networks can create a cycle of frustration and hopeless ness, often pushing individuals back toward criminal behavior (Sugie 2020). learning experience that helps participants understand the significant challenges individuals encounter when transitioning

Implementation in Florida Community Corrections In 2022, recognizing the critical importance of understanding the complex challenges that individu als face when reentering society after incarceration, Florida Community Corrections took a proactive step by incorporating Reentry Simulations as a mandatory component of staff in-service training. This initiative stemmed from a deep-seated recognition that the jour ney from incarceration to reintegration is riddled with multiple, often overwhelming, obstacles that can hinder even the most determined individuals (Perry 2024).

One of the most powerful aspects of the simulation is its focus on the overwhelming difficulty of reentering society.

The decision to make Reentry Simulations a required part of training was not taken lightly. It was rooted in the understanding that traditional training methods, while effective in teaching the technical aspects of probation supervision, often fall short in conveying the real-world difficulties that individuals under supervision encounter daily. These challenges include finding stable employ ment, securing affordable housing, complying with probation conditions, navigating complex legal obliga tions and overcoming societal stigmas — all while trying to rebuild their lives and avoid recidivism. The impact of these simulations has been enlighten ing. By experiencing firsthand the frustration, stress and overwhelming nature of the reentry process, participants gain a much deeper understanding of the lived experi ences of individuals under supervision. This experiential learning fosters a sense of empathy that is difficult to achieve through traditional training methods (Sparks and Zidenberg 2024). Staff members come away from the simulation with a heightened awareness of the bar riers that can derail an individual under supervision’s

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Spring 2025 | Corrections Today

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