They served their time, so why can't they leave prison behind?
For many felons, prison ends, but the damage doesn't. They struggle with post-incarceration syndrome — a PTSD-like condition that makes rebuilding their lives an uphill battle.
Without the right support, many battle anxiety, depression and the weight of their past. That struggle often leads to joblessness, addiction and ending up back in prison.
Some lawmakers and civil rights groups are pushing for better research and more support. In 2023, U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Grace Napolitano urged the National Institute of Mental Health to study post-incarceration syndrome and its consequences, highlighting how carceral environments lead to lasting mental health damage.
The NAACP says nearly 2.3 million people are locked up in the U.S., yet most don't get treatment for PTSD.
Without help, people bring that trauma home to their families and neighborhoods. As such, the NAACP has called for trauma-informed care for former prisoners.
Holyoke City Councilor Israel Rivera has a recurring dream that he's back in prison.
'I still wake up in hot sweats, stressed out, wanting to cry, because I got a family now,' Rivera said in a recent interview at the Holyoke office where he works as a regional manager for Families First, a nonprofit that supports parents throughout Massachusetts.
In the early 2000s, law enforcement officers raided a home Rivera was in. Rivera was arrested and served five years on drug-related charges. He was not far from adolescence, having just turned 21.
Since getting out, he's struggled to leave prison behind. As an example, he told the story of a dinner party where he introduced himself as an 'ex-felon.'
A woman asked, 'Why do you do that?'
He hadn't thought about it. In part, he wants to humanize other felons. He wants to let people know that they are people like him. He uses his presence to challenge prejudices.
'But then I was like, damn, it's been over 10 years since I came out of jail. Why am I still saying that?' Rivera said.
He's not sure why, but he knows prison is still inside him. 'It is still in my head,' he said. 'I'm keeping myself in a kind of box. That's PTSD.'
In prison, Rivera dreamed of home. But when he woke up, the bars were still there.
Now that he's home, his dreams have reversed. 'Now I dream I'm still in prison,' he said.
Rivera's story is far from unique. A lot of people in prison were struggling kids first — kids who never got the help they needed.
'If we don't reach young people early and help them heal, they'll carry that trauma into adulthood — filling our prisons instead of reaching their potential,' said Leon Smith, executive director of Citizens for Juvenile Justice.
For 30 years, the Boston nonprofit has worked to reform the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts, advocating for policies that address the root causes of criminal behavior.
Smith said Massachusetts has made strides in this area. A recent MassINC and Boston Indicators report found that since Massachusetts passed criminal justice reform legislation in 2018, incarceration rates have dropped nearly 50%.
The sharpest reductions have come in the last five years, driven by investments in prevention, treatment and reentry support in the Commonwealth.
'Which largely avoided the major spikes in crime experienced in other cities and states during the pandemic,' the report stated.
While these improvements are promising, Smith warns that the decline in incarceration has slowed. Between 2022 and 2023, Massachusetts' prison population dropped by only 166 people, according to the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.
The real fix, Smith said, is making sure every young person has access to mental health care.
'I have professional friends who are parents and are having a difficult time getting mental health support for their kids,' he said. 'Now consider what it's like when you are at the intersection of race and poverty in our commonwealth. Those parents are having an even more difficult time.'
Read the original article on MassLive.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Supreme Court pauses ruling that weakened 1965 Voting Rights Act
A lower court severely limited who can bring discrimination challenges under the landmark 1965 law. WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court paused a lower court's ruling limiting who can sue under the under the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, a move backed by civil rights groups and other advocates. Over the objections of three conservative justices, the high court on July 24 put a ruling by the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on hold while two Native American tribes appeal it. If allowed to stand, the appeals court's decision would severely undermine enforcement of the law. It said only the U.S. attorney general is authorized to sue under a key section of the law, meaning voters, Native American tribes and groups like the NAACP would be barred from doing so. In this case, the tribes and three voters challenged a state legislative map in North Dakota they said dilutes the voting power of Native Americans. A federal district judge agreed, but the appeals court said vote dilution claims cannot be enforced through lawsuits brought by individual voters or groups. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Tribe called that decision a 'knee-cap' to the nation's 'most important civil rights statute.' Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act bars voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color or other characteristics. In a brief supporting the tribes, the NAACP said the history of that section 'has been written largely through private enforcement.' But North Dakota's attorney general argues Congress did not clearly intend a private enforcement right when the act became law decades ago. The state also said the Supreme Court should keep the appeals court's decision in effect for now to allow the 2026 elections to be conducted under the map challenged by the tribes. That map eliminated two of the three legislative districts in which Native American voters could elect their preferred candidates. Three justices − Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch − said they would have kept the decision in place while the Supreme Court considers whether to hear the tribes' appeal. The appeals court's decision affects voting rights litigation in seven states: Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Republican attorneys general in most of those states and a few others filed a brief backing the appeals court's decision. More: Supreme Court defers decision on challenge to Louisiana congressional map The Supreme Court is still deciding how to resolve a dispute over Louisiana's congressional districts that involves an interplay between the Voting Rights Act and a racial gerrymandering challenge. Instead of issuing a decision, the court announced in June that it will hear new arguments in its next term.
San Francisco Chronicle
21-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
This cuisine is rare in the Bay Area. A chef just opened a restaurant devoted to it
When Eric Rivera was in solitary confinement in the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, food kept him sane. He'd sit at a desk, alone, and pretend to be taking orders and cooking at a fantasy restaurant to pass the time. In his mind, he made the Puerto Rican dishes his mother taught him, and invented his own spins, like eggs benedict with slow-roasted pork. Now, the chef, who ran a beloved Puerto Rican food business out of an Oakland liquor store until his arrest in 2017, has started that restaurant. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine opened July 15 at 1430 23rd Ave. in Oakland with dishes including chicken encebollado and tostones, deep-fried plantains. Fans flocked to the takeout window, dancing to Puerto Rican music and hanging out on the sidewalk while they waited for their food. It sold out by the end of the day. Rivera, a native of New York, is best known for Borinquen Soul, which was born as a food truck before gaining a loyal following from inside the Two Star Market liquor store until closing in 2017, and W.E.P.A. — a nod to a Puerto Rican term for 'right on' and an acronym for Where Everybody Parties At — in Jack London Square, which was featured in an episode of Guy Fieri's Food Network TV show 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.' That same year, Rivera's rise came to an abrupt halt when he was arrested on a robbery he says he did not commit. He served nearly six years in jail, cooking for his fellow inmates and joining a hunger strike to protest poor food quality. When Rivera returned home, friends encouraged him to start cooking again. The reception to popups was 'overwhelming,' he said. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine serves staples such as pernil, empanadas filled with shredded chicken and rice topped with beans, squash and olives. Rivera said customers still ask for a dish highlighted on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives': canoa, a maximalist, loaded fried plantain filled with ground beef, peppers, onion and cheese. He plans to offer daily specials, such as fried pork chops or mofongo (mashed plantains with pork). Expect future events in the Oakland space's backyard, which is equipped with a large smoker. Puerto Rican cuisine remains underrepresented in the Bay Area. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine is now Oakland's only dedicated Puerto Rican restaurant, since the popular La Perla moved to Castro Valley last year. Two of the Bay Area's other Puerto Rican food businesses are run by Borinquen Soul alumni: Boriqua Kitchen, the region's only Puerto Rican food truck, and the vegan Casa Borinqueña, which operated in Oakland before moving to IKEA food hall Saluhall in San Francisco. Rivera hopes his current employees will launch the next wave of Puerto Rican restaurants. He also plans to teach cooking classes to local youth and says he's in talks to sell frozen foods in grocery stores. The East Oakland space will serve as a central hub, he envisions, for training cooks and opening takeout-only locations of Puerto Rican Street Cuisine throughout the Bay Area. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine is open for takeout and delivery from 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- CBS News
Roxbury Unity Parade celebrates Black culture and honors residents in Boston
Celebrating Black culture and excellence, the annual Roxbury Unity Parade took center stage Sunday in Boston. Kicking off at Madison Park High School, Roxbury families, elected officials and those running for office marched in solidarity. The parade is meant to honor the past and reflect the rich tapestry of Roxbury's legacy. "Today we celebrate Black beauty, Black brilliance, Black resilience, Black innovation," said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. Found Toy Burton said the parade began in 2017 after a summer of violence. "Let those who grow up here know that they come from a proud neighborhood," said Burton. "There's good happening here every day and that's why we give away awards to uplift those who uplift Roxbury every day." Wu and Kraft also took part in the event. "We are still in a moment where people are really struggling," said Wu. "The cost of just putting food on the table is still a big, big stress, so we are going to keep fighting, we're going to fight against the federal administration that's trying to attack our identities, take us backwards, rejects the beauty of our diverse communities." Kraft said there is a lot of work that needs to be done in the community. "Celebrating the legacy through a powerful parade the way Toy Burton has created is an easy thing to get behind," said Kraft. "The number one concern in the city is people don't feel listened to, they don't feel connected to the city and the first tangible issue that we hear about is housing. Housing is unaffordable and unattainable, especially for working families." Boston music legends and Roxbury natives Michael Bivens and Ron DeVoe from New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe also made an appearance at the parade and helped present community awards.
