Ty Marshall of Illinois has done his prison time, but his felony conviction continues to haunt him as he is unable to find jobs or housing, the Southern Illinoisan says in a feature on prisoner re-entry problems. Marshall is one of about 33,000 adult parolees trying to re-enter society in Illinois. A Statewide Community Safety and Re-entry Commission and Working Group is designing a comprehensive re-entry system that will help parolees avoid returning to crime.
“The state’s rising recidivism rate is a long-term public safety and public policy challenge,” said corrections director Roger Walker. Marshall, who served a three-year term on a drug offense, said, “The system just treats you like a cow. Rehabilitation is a choice you make. It’s a choice you make every day when you wake up and put your feet on the floor.” Marshall said when he was released, he was taken to a bus stop and dropped off with the “box of junk” he had accumulated. The $10 bus fare he had been promised never appeared.
Link: http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2005/04/17/top/102121.txt