Lawyer Shares Eye-Opening Story On How Unprepared Inmates Are Prior To Rejoining Society

Technology is a major part of our modern life, so much so that it’s more uncommon to meet someone without any sort of tech. There was a time in our not-so-distant past when the wheel was a major advancement, and the invention of planes was considered an abomination of technology.

Technology and public opinion about it have always fluctuated. But much like technology evolves over time, so have the overall opinions of its necessity.

Within our lifetime, we’ve gone from Nokia bricks with T9 (Text on 9 keys) texting to smartphones, where we can access interactive and live maps, social media, games, and QWERTY/Swipe/Predictive/Voice-to-text, just to name a few improvements.

In the 80s, no one would have dreamed of the possibilities we have today, and now we can’t even leave the house without our smartphones. It’s been built into our items check—keys, wallet, phone.

In our modern society, we have been completely immersed in technology. When something new comes along, we have a pretty stable foundation to rely on for learning and adapting to the new advancements. 

Try to consider then what it would be like if you didn’t have this basic foundation of knowledge. One day, you are thrown into a society heavily reliant on technology that you don’t understand, with systems and programs that are not compatible with the basic form of information, like paper documentation. 

Human rights lawyer Maria Burnett experienced this scenario secondhand. She recently had a client who was released from prison after serving a 30-year sentence.

Let’s take a second here and really think about that. 

The internet was released to the public in 1989—making it as old as most of the younger millennials. The first iPhone was released in 2007, and Google celebrated its 30th birthday in 2019. 

Thirty years in prison means thirty years isolated from the rapidly changing and evolving culture of technology.

An almost universal image when one thinks of prison.

Flickr: Sara

Burnett’s client literally lived with almost no knowledge of the vast changes and opportunities provided to us by the advancement of technology.

While it’s only natural that he would be overwhelmed with things to learn and adjust to, it goes even deeper than that.

Understandably, her client was hesitant to admit that he didn’t know how to access the important documents or services available to him, since they all operated within the digital space.

Twitter: _MariaBurnett

This man spent three decades outside of the rapidly changing, technology-obsessed world, so it makes sense that he feels behind.

“I got him a laptop, and we spent a day this weekend going over everything: the difference between cell service and Wi-Fi, between texts and email, where to find which thing on a phone versus on a laptop,” said Burnett. Twitter: _MariaBurnett

That gap is where the story really starts to hit hard.

But the complete lack of any training or information for people who are basically entering a whole new age with out-of-date knowledge can be catastrophic to their re-entry into public life.

This failure of education only sets up inmates for failure, which can lead to relapse back into the system.

Twitter: _MariaBurnett

According to Burnett, even the DC social services offices automatically assumed he would know how to navigate today's technology.

The assumption that he would know, like most of us who have been immersed in it, how to send emails, scan documents to a digital file, upload and file online forms, and use other services in the digital space, increases the chance of failure.

Twitter: _MariaBurnett

Burnett shared the feelings of her own guilt after she acknowledged her own assumptions.

She admitted that she didn’t even consider the fact that her client would be so out of touch with technology. It is so ingrained and habitual in our everyday life that we just assume most people have a basic grasp on how to operate most computers.

Inmates do have a form of email, a system called Corrlinks. It was designed for inmates to be able to contact the outside world.

Twitter: _MariaBurnett

Burnett shares a "win," giving her client a confidence boost as he steps into the digital world.

Many of us are very familiar with navigating laptops and Zoom; this was a brand new experience for Burnett's client. By successfully completing a group discussion on the platform, he had his first interaction on Zoom as a free person.

Twitter: _MariaBurnett

People online had plenty to say about how deep this problem goes.

It’s a legal-tech reality check, just like the new sentencing development in Diddy’s case after incarceration for prostitution-linked charges.

Twitter users continued to deliver relevant, interesting information from their own experiences.

Twitter: paula_squared

Several public librarians chimed in regarding assisting patrons with the changes in technology.

Twitter: vom_marlowe

User @mfnmfnmfn points out how this barely scratches the surface of how deep this issue can run.

Twitter: mfnmfnmfn

User @m1matas shares their experience with Immigration Services being difficult to navigate for those unable to afford tech.

Twitter: m1matas

@roughtradeX shares a brief glance into a similar story, with an elderly inmate released after being jailed in the 1950s!

Twitter: roughtradeX

@rmschloss points out that even access to a job can heavily rely on the basic knowledge of the internet.

Twitter: rmschloss

@deceiver420 shares an experience they had as an inmate regarding VHS/DVDs.

Twitter: deceiver420

@VLF79 shares how out of the loop they felt after just two years of jail time.

Twitter: VLF79

@KMKrone_writes attempts to concretize the enormous changes the inmate faced over 30 years imprisoned.

Twitter: KMKrone_writes

@hellsop nails it.

Twitter: hellsop

@laurenscharhag brings attention to the necessity of technology training as part of re-entry training for inmates.

Twitter: laurenscharhag

@AidanDonnelly55 shares their feelings after witnessing their uncle face hardship with re-entry.

Twitter: AidanDonnelly55

@MaraWebster shares a peek into the prison library system and how the use of the internet was extremely limited and nonfunctional.

Twitter: MaraWebster

When Burnett’s client reentered society as a free man, the three decades in prison quickly overwhelmed him. He was sent out with no assistance set up by the government, local or federal, to help him adjust to the changes in society.

He was starting from square one, having to learn everything from the very beginning. Thankfully, with some help and his own determination, he was able to learn some fundamentals, which are critically important in today’s environment when the majority of the world has moved into a digital space.

But not all stories play out this way; the standard prison system in the United States isn't set up for rehabilitation. Inmates facing re-entry are often left to fend for themselves, which frequently leads them back into the system.

Maybe if more stories are shared, more attention can be brought to this issue. Once an inmate's time has been served, shouldn't they be provided with the basic education to be functional members of society?

That question is hard to ignore.

Before you judge, read how one AITA friend bailed on a family emergency and left everyone stranded.