“Hello?”
“Dad; it’s Tim.”
“Hi, Tim. It’s good to hear from you. How are things? Any progress on welding school?”
A catch in his voice.
“Well, that’s why I’m calling.”
“What’s wrong?
“I was all set. Mom had signed me up for this really great VoTech school. One of the best programs in the state. I was supposed to start in two weeks.”
“What happened?”
“I…”
Silence.
“I couldn’t pass the background check. I was rejected because of my felony convictions.”
These are the moments they don’t tell you about. The moments after prison when someone is simply trying to move forward and rebuild his life, but begins to experience the harsh aftermath. Like the aftershock after a terrible earthquake, the fragile constitution of a life is yet again threatened by the obstacles that inevitably beset the future plans of the prisoner, reformed to fit his current station. Continue reading
