As an incarcerated individual, being mentally, spiritually and emotionally ready to change is more important than making that physical change to freedom outside those security fences that keep us locked in. If our minds are not internally prepared to move then our bodies tend to only have a presence in free society and will gravitate right back to that comfort zone of the past places and people.

Most of us who prepare to leave prisons and jails do not have a home, or at least not one that is the healthiest and most stable environment than can help us continue to heal and recover, which is always needed regardless of how many classes or rehabilitation programs we participated in while incarcerated. Too many times, we find ourselves going back to neighborhoods where housing, employment, transportation and healthy-living lifestyles are not at our finger tips. The lack of these necessities can serve to quickly put us in emotional jeopardy and at risk of repeating the cycle of crime.