A recent multiyear study of 33 prisoners returning to society after more than 20 years of incarceration exposes what researchers describe as a systemic failure of reentry systems in the United States. The article, by the Sentencing Project — a nonprofit working to end mass incarceration — highlights the harsh reality facing many disabled individuals upon release by sharing the story of Evan Smith.
Founded 40 years ago, the Sentencing Project “advocates for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic and gender justice,” according to its mission statement.
The report’s findings are a stark indictment of current U.S. policies. “It reveals the unique, often harrowing, challenges of returning to a world that has dramatically changed, while life inside remains isolating and stagnant.”
The report found that departments of corrections consistently limited or denied access to rehabilitative programming because of long sentence lengths, forcing participants to find alternatives to support their own personal transformations. Departments of corrections also provided little to no meaningful assistance with reentry planning, leaving many at risk of homelessness.
Returning home with limited financial resources also created instability and strain for many. Additionally, felony probation and parole travel restrictions created obstacles to employment and to building social bonds with family.
The article reports on Evan Smith, a man who was detained for 42 years in New York and who relies on a wheelchair. According to the article, after decades of incarceration, he was left on the street upon his release by the Department of Corrections, with nowhere to go. Instead of providing assistance, the Department of Corrections recommended that he declare himself homeless.
“They wanted me to find housing,” he told researchers. “However, I have no family. They’re all deceased. I have no friends. I’ve not had a visit from anyone since 1996…” Although various nonprofit organizations helped him connect with social services, finding housing for someone with a disability like his proved to be a challenge.
He ended up in an accessible hotel room, but “his disability kept him from leaving, and he lacked the transportation to find work. Worse, the hotel management restricts his movement, fearful that his presence will upset paying guests.”
For Smith, this was no better than incarceration — he described the experience as “more like a prison—another prison cell.”
As the article explains, Evan Smith’s story highlights the need for a specialized reentry protocol for people with disabilities. “Nearly 2 in 5 people in state and federal prisons report at least one disability. Furthermore, 41% of incarcerated people have a history of mental health struggles.”
The article is firm: “Agencies inside and outside of prisons must do better. We cannot claim to support ‘second chances’ if our systems leave the most vulnerable people with no chance at all.” Trading one prison sentence for another after time served does not set up disabled people for successful reentry.
According to the article, although Smith’s story is nothing short of heartbreaking, it opens a window into the America that exists today — one where release conditions that would have once seemed anathema to core values are normalized, and where the idea of “freedom” can become another form of confinement.
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