DeAnna Hoskins at PBS NewsHour: What Reentry 2030 Is About

“Each year, more than 600,000 people are released from federal and state prisons, according to recent numbers by the federal government, and 9 million more cycle in and out of jails. But leaving incarceration doesn’t necessarily mean a return to normal life, with barriers, both officially sanctioned and systemic, preventing access to basic needs like housing or restricting job opportunities, even if it has been years since the formerly incarcerated have been released. …

“A new national initiative aims to help reduce those barriers over the next decade, and in doing so, make the process of leaving prison, called reentry, smoother and more effective.

“The initiative, called Reentry 2030, is a collaboration among the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the Correctional Leaders Association and advocacy group JustLeadershipUSA. It launched April 21, with the support of the Department of Justice.

“No one leaves prison with the goal of coming back, said JustLeadershipUSA president and CEO DeAnna Hoskins said. But structural barriers – such as employers who are allowed to ask about former incarceration, or public housing that can reject those with felonies – often impede people’s ability to land on, and stay on, their feet.”

Read the full story and interview with DeAnna Hoskins now at PBS.org.