Each year, more than half a million people are released from state and federal prisons, some of them after years of incarceration. But with an unemployment rate of over 27% for the formerly incarcerated, what does life on the outside look like for them?   

Join J.R. Jamison as he explores this question, and shares the story of a woman with a felony who is working on a new life with her kids, and another from a retired prison doctor who works on re-entry program reform.  

Later in the show, J.R. is joined by Dr. Jacquelyn B. Frank, Professor of Aging Studies and Human Services at Eastern Illinois University, whose research and community engagement work focuses on long-term incarceration and life after prison. 

The co-host this time around is 15-year-old Charlie Isaacs who is a fan of the show and hopes to someday go into radio.  

Photo – Via Flickr Creative Commons by Michael Scott at Felons Get Hired.

Stories included in this episode –  

• You Can Only Go So Far with Optimism 
  An anonymous story as told to Rodrigo M. Jr. and Allison W. from Behind the Faces of Criminal Justice in Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin. Performed by Tiffany Erk.   
• Ken’s Story
  Ken Adler’s story as told to Rachel E. and Nicole B. from Behind the Faces of Criminal Justice in Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin. Performed by Larry Beck.

Music used in this episode – 

• “The Collector” by Broke For Free
  Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0) license.
  From the Free Music Archive.
• “I Will Wait For You” by Scott Gratton
  Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.
  From the Free Music Archive.

Original air date: Dec. 18, 2021