‘STILL HANDCUFFED’

Simulation illustrates problems faced by those released from incarceration

Jeffrey Smith knows a thing or two about what it’s like to spend time behind bars.

The Berks County Prison warden has spent the last 20 years of his professional life focusing on that. He’s responsible for the men and women who find themselves incarcerated, and it gives him an intimate view of what the experience is like.

But once those inmates are released from jail, once they leave their cells behind and attempt to rejoin society, that’s a different story. That is why Smith decided to spend a few hours recently at the West Lawn United Methodist Church Community Center.

The warden was one of about 100 people who took part in a simulation meant to show the challenges that people released from prison encounter after their release back into the community.

Hosted in collaboration with Connections Work, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Probation Office, the program is part of a nationwide effort to increase empathy for people leaving prison.

Participants took on the identities of men and women reentering the community after being incarcerated, experiencing firsthand the challenges of that experience.

“The obstacles that these people must overcome are not as easy as people may think. And this exercise gives them that perspective that they would not otherwise have had before.”

For Smith, that meant becoming Leah.

Leah served 25 years in state and federal prison for murder, felony possession of a firearm and a drug conviction.

When she was released,

Leah had a lot going for her. She was a high school graduate, had saved $200 in prison, was living in an apartment with a significant other and making $150 at a part-time job.

But spending some time as Leah was eye-opening for Smith, as he discovered just how difficult it can be to get back on your feet. He struggled with obtaining a state identification card, earning enough money for housing and food and finding enough time to attend required meetings and appointments.

He was even sent back to jail twice, once for selling drugs and once for failing a drug test.

The experience, Smith said, gave him a new ap

preciation for what it’s like to try to restart a life after spending time incarcerated.

Gaining understanding

BILL UHRICH - MEDIANEWS GROUP Berks County Prison Warden Jeffrey Smith participates in a simulation meant to show the challenges that people released from prison encounter in the community. Smith is trying to obtain a state identification during the program at West Lawn United Methodist Church.

BILL UHRICH - MEDIANEWS GROUP Berks County Prison Warden Jeffrey Smith leafs through his identification packet during a reentry simulation organized by Connections Work in collaboration with the U. S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Probation Office.