Summary
Creating a trustful and supportive environment with our loved ones may take time, but it is the most important thing that we can do for not only ourselves, but our friends and family as well.
In 2022, there are roughly 2 million people in United States Prisons. Each year, over 500,000 are released from prison and pushed back into society. However, sometimes, people coming out of the prison system are not prepared for what lies ahead and neither are their families.
While most incarcerated people and their families are excited for them get out of prison, it is also a lot of work. You go from your daily routine and small space, to a mix of chaos, busy schedules, and big spaces with lots of people. It can be overwhelming for anyone. So, what are some ways we can help our loved ones while we integrate back into society?
Ways to support your loved ones
For starters, we need to remember that we were away for a period of time. Meaning, their life may be different now. Different jobs, different schools, maybe even a different house. It is important to try to integrate back into their day to day lives, but not try to change things to how they used to be. Life evolved and we need to try to change and adapt with it.
Patience
We also need to be patient with our loved ones. While this is a new experience for those previously incarcerated, this is also new to our loved ones. It is exciting but is also a dramatic change and it is important to keep in mind that not everyone handles change the same way.
Rejection
It is vital that we prepare ourselves for rejection. After coming out of prison and moving back in or moving near your family and friends, it may take them some getting used to before completely being okay with the situation. We need to prepare ourselves for this to help ourselves, but also to control our reactions with our loved ones.
Support
Providing support for our loved ones in this time is absolutely necessary. Just as they will be supporting you, we need to help support them through this time of change. Integrating yourself back into society by finding hobbies or a job will help with this change by showing your loved ones that you are capable of being independent. This will help relieve some burden off of your loved ones
Change
Finally, it is important to show our friends and family members that we have changed. The main way to do this is to stay out of prison. Finding opportunities for education and job training or even picking up a hobby is a great start. The foundation of every relationship is trust and once our family members begin to trust us, our relationships will begin to mend themselves.
Trust
In order to build trust with our family members, we need to communicate openly. We need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable while also setting boundaries. We also need to be prepared for our loved ones to do the same with us. It is important to note that the past events that cause mistrust may be triggering for our loved ones and may still be hurting them. Talking through these issues and events will help begin the process of trust.
Overall, everyone craves peace. We all want to be happy, maybe in different ways, but the end goal for almost everyone is to be happy and peaceful in this life. Creating a trustful and supportive environment with our loved ones may take time, but it is the most important thing that we can do for not only ourselves, but our friends and family as well.