Leaving prison can be almost as hard as being in it. People often come out with very little money, no phone, no ID, and nowhere to live. Many employers will not hire them. Some family and friends have moved on. And everyone seems to look at them as only the worst thing they ever did.
There is a story about a man the whole town had given up on.
The man in the tombs
On the far side of the Sea of Galilee, a big lake in the north of the country, lived a man in terrible torment. He lived among the tombs outside town. People had tried to chain him, but he broke the chains. Day and night he cried out and cut himself with stones. The whole area was afraid of him.
When Jesus arrived by boat, the man ran to him. Jesus set him free from what had been tormenting him. When the townspeople came, they found the man sitting quietly, dressed, and in his right mind. And they were afraid.
Go home
The man begged to get in the boat and go with Jesus. But Jesus said no. The Gospel of Mark, one of the four accounts of Jesus's life, tells us why.
Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
Mark 5:19 · King James VersionThe original Greek
καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου πρὸς τοὺς σούς, καὶ ἀπάγγειλον αὐτοῖς ὅσα ὁ κύριός σοι πεποίηκεν καὶ ἠλέησέν σε.
Found in Codex Vaticanus (about AD 325), Codex Sinaiticus (about AD 350).
Jesus sent him back to the town that had chained him. He was meant to live among his own people again. His new life was supposed to be lived at home.
Coming home after prison is the same. A person needs a community willing to take them back.
Ways to help
Welcome them. A handshake, a meal and treating them as a person, not as their record, matter a great deal.
Help with ID and paperwork. A driver's license, Social Security card and birth certificate are needed for almost everything.
Help find housing. A room to rent, a safe place to stay, or a lead on reentry housing programs.
Help with work. Share job leads, help with a resume, or introduce them to employers who hire people with records.
Offer rides. To parole meetings, job interviews, treatment, and church.
Get them a phone. It is hard to apply for jobs or keep appointments without one.
Be patient. The world has changed while they were gone. Even using a smartphone or a self-checkout can be new.
Help them find a church that welcomes them. Sit with them the first few times.
Sent home
Jesus could have taken the man with him. Instead he sent him home, because home needed to see what mercy looks like. If someone you know is coming home from prison, you can be the part of home that makes room for them. You may be the first person who treats them as more than their past.