Media Advisory: UB to host a simulation demonstrating the challenges faced by people released from prison

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo will present a re-entry simulation that will let participants experience firsthand the obstacles people face following their release from incarceration.

The simulation will be held on March 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. in room 25 in the basement of O’Brian Hall on the university’s North Campus. Members of the media are invited to cover the simulation.

The event — sponsored by the Prison Studies Certificate in the UB Department of Sociology and Criminology, the UB School of Law, the UB School of Social Work, and Peaceprints of WNY — is free and open to the public; guests are asked to register in advance due to limited spots available.

Darryl Epps, Jr., deputy director of SUNY’s Office for Higher Education in Prison, will facilitate the simulation. The evening will also feature remarks from A. Scott Weber, PhD, UB provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, along with elected officials and community leaders, including Buffalo Common Council Member Zeneta Everhart; Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera; Erie County Legislator Taisha St. Jean-Tard; and Peaceprints of WNY Executive Director Cindi McEachon.

A panel will be on hand as well to share their own re-entry journeys after incarceration.

People re-entering society following their release from prison face several obstacles, including finding housing, transportation and employment, explains Mary Nell Trautner, PhD, associate professor of sociology and criminology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences and director of the UB College in Prison Program.

“It’s not only how access to daily necessities becomes a challenge, but understanding how and when to contact parole or probation officers that can be overwhelming,” says Trautner. “Someone leaving incarceration, whether they were in a local jail for a short time or released after a lengthy prison sentence, often leave with nothing but a very small amount of money and a few platitudes.

“This simulation will demonstrate some of these challenges.”

Each of the evening’s participants will receive an “identity” and a random assortment of resources, like cash, bus tickets or one form of ID. For the purposes of the simulation, one week will be compressed into 15 minutes, during which time those participants must accomplish what’s often required of people leaving prison. If they have not checked in with the appropriate law enforcement agency, obtained food, had a drug test, found a place to live and paid rent, and obtained three forms of identification, then they must return to prison.

“Most of us don’t realize that it can be impossible to complete these basic tasks, and the simulation can help us understand why so many people end up back in prison after their release,” says Trautner.

Trautner says understanding these barriers is an important step toward achieving meaningful policy change.

“If we want to reduce recidivism, if we really want to promote public safety, then we have to invest in supportive re-entry programs,” she says. “This simulation helps us see the human side of the experience and the urgent need for reform.”

Several programs operating in Western New York, such as Project Blue, provide evidence for the effectiveness that comes from meaningful change.

People who have support from one of these organizations have a recidivism rate of less than 5%, says Trautner, adding that in Erie County, 80% of people without such assistance are likely to be reincarcerated within three years of their earlier release.

Trautner encourages policymakers, community members and students to attend the simulation.

“We can see through this simulation that successfully re-entering society is not just about personal responsibility,” she says. “It’s about navigating a system that’s set up to make it extremely difficult to succeed.”