WASHINGTON, D.C. — A report released in April 2026 by The Sentencing Project finds that formerly incarcerated individuals released after decades in prison face significant barriers to reentry, largely because correctional systems failed to prepare them for life after release.
The Sentencing Project advocates for reducing incarceration and promoting fair, humane responses to crime, with a focus on advancing racial, economic and gender justice, according to its website.
The report, titled Learning Life All Over Again: Reentry After Long-Term Imprisonment, was written by Kristen M. Budd and Sabrina C. Pearce and is based on interviews with 33 formerly incarcerated individuals across several states.
Researchers found that the reentry experience is shaped less by personal choices and more by how prisons prepare — or fail to prepare — individuals for life after release, the report states.
The report examines how individuals navigate major social, economic and technological changes after spending decades incarcerated.
Many participants reported that prisons failed to adequately prepare them for reentry, including by denying access to rehabilitative programming such as job training, education and trade programs. A Colorado participant who had been incarcerated for 32 years said, “They wouldn’t let me participate in anything … even a GED class.”
The report suggests expanding access to rehabilitative, educational and vocational programs by removing sentence-length restrictions.
According to the report, others faced financial pressures because of low wages and limited mobility. Monetary allocations known as “gate money,” discretionary funds given to a person upon release, were not received by more than half of the participants.
Along with limited financial resources upon release, formerly incarcerated individuals face long-term economic disadvantages because of lengthy prison sentences, extremely low in-prison wages and limited access to Social Security or retirement benefits, according to the report.
One participant described the lasting impact of these barriers, explaining he would have to continue working because he lacked credit for Social Security and a 401(k). Like him, others who served long prison sentences had no savings or retirement benefits.
Today’s world is also almost entirely digital. For those who spent more than 20 years in prison, adjusting to new systems with limited training and assistance created additional obstacles and strain. Technology was the most frequently reported challenge for formerly incarcerated individuals — “a form of digital culture shock,” the report states.
After being incarcerated for 42 years, one participant from New York said, “Being in prison so long, I have no idea how the outside world works.”
The Sentencing Project states that “45% of respondents were thriving, 33% were surviving and 21% were suffering.”
Those who were suffering reported difficulties obtaining legal documents, finding employment that pays a living wage, housing insecurity and restrictive probation conditions, according to the report.
Despite these barriers, the report highlights that many individuals remained resilient, patient and committed. They sought to become successful members of their communities and give back in ways that benefit society.
The Sentencing Project notes that Washington, Virginia and Missouri have implemented reentry programs to support people released from incarceration, urging other states and the federal government to follow suit.
After release, individuals should be provided with the resources and support needed to adjust to a new start outside prison. As the report notes, many participants also advocated for legal reforms to improve prison conditions and expand opportunities for release.
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