The last time Marlon Graham Sr. was allowed to vote, he cast his vote for Barack Obama while he was living in Minnesota.
But back in Des Moines where he’s lived most of his life, Graham is still waiting for his chance to make his voice heard on matters ranging from who should be president to who should sit on the local school board.
Graham, 42, is a father to 11 children, and some of them will soon turn 18 and be allowed to cast their first ballots. Read More
Posted: March 31, 2021 by Susan Spears
Unheard Voices: Impacts of Incarceration on Children and Families
Inside Out Reentry Community presents Unheard Voices, a virtual forum to discuss the hidden impacts of incarceration and reentry on children, partners, and family members. These groups often face challenges finding support for their situation, as well as the effects of the societal stigma surrounding incarceration. The event includes a panel of service providers who will discuss programming and support groups for these families and children, as well as a panel of individuals who have been impacted by the incarceration of a loved one. This event discusses available opportunities and identifies gaps in support for these unheard voices.
Register for the event at: bit.ly/IOVoices Read More
Posted: February 3, 2021 by Susan Spears
Inside Out Reentry Winter 2020-2021 Newsletter
Posted: November 23, 2020 by Susan Spears
The reentry struggle: COVID makes path to productive life harder for ex-offenders
Rich Mathias knows firsthand the despair of being in prison — and the despair of being released.
“Being in prison, especially during a holiday, is one of the worst things you can go through,” he told me this week, with Thanksgiving just around the corner. Read More
Last Updated: November 4, 2020 by Susan Spears
October 22, 2020 Virtual Women in Reentry Forum
Hosted by Inside Out Reentry Community, the Women in Reentry Forum explores the gender-based inequalities and challenges women face both within the criminal justice system and when returning to the community. Read More
Posted: October 29, 2020 by Susan Spears
Formerly incarcerated women in Iowa share the challenges they faced during re-entry
Lisa Smith felt like “nothing was done” to prepare her for re-entry following the six years she served at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. She also wasn’t prepared for the loneliness she would feel.
“I was surrounded by women all the time, and when I got out, not only did I not have this huge community of women around me that I had lived in a small space with for six years, I was not allowed to speak to any of them — not even on the phone — or it would have sent me back to prison,” Smith said. Read More
Posted: October 20, 2020 by Susan Spears
Inside Out Reentry Fall 2020 Newsletter
Posted: October 12, 2020 by Susan Spears
Virtual Forum! Women in Reentry October 22
Inside Out will be hosting a virtual forum with keynote speaker Michelle Daniel Jones, followed by a panel of formerly incarcerated women and reentry service providers, on Thursday October 22nd from 12 – 1:30 pm. The forum will focus on women in reentry, highlighting the gender based inequities that exist both in the criminal justice system and when returning to the community. Register now:
http://bit.ly/IOWomen
Last Updated: September 10, 2020 by Susan Spears
Thousands on parole still can’t vote and one hurdle may be inability to pay restitution
The last time Marlon Graham Sr. was allowed to vote, he cast his vote for Barack Obama while he was living in Minnesota.
But back in Des Moines where he’s lived most of his life, Graham is still waiting for his chance to make his voice heard on matters ranging from who should be president to who should sit on the local school board.
Graham, 42, is a father to 11 children, and some of them will soon turn 18 and be allowed to cast their first ballots. Read More
Last Updated: August 17, 2020 by InsideOut Reentry
Rich Mathias, formerly of Burlington, plays role in restoration of Iowa felon voting rights
[Source: https://www.thehawkeye.com/news/20200806/rich-mathias-formerly-of-burlington-plays-role-in-restoration-of-iowa-felon-voting-rights
The Hawk Eye, 6 August 2020, by Robin Opsahl Des Moines Register]
IOWA CITY — Rich Mathias, formerly of Burlington, hoped the bumpy road to regaining his right to vote could help end Iowa’s status as the nation’s most unforgiving criminal suffrage state, where tens of thousands of people like him were banned from the ballot box.
He had been calling on Gov. Kim Reynolds to keep a promise she made in June to sign an executive order restoring felons’ right to vote.
She finally came through on that promise Wednesday when she signed the executive order into law. Read More
Last Updated: September 25, 2020 by InsideOut Reentry
Inside Out Reentry Spring/Summer 2020 Newsletter