Krannich - The re-entry start-up guide: mapping your way through the free world maze

The Re-Entry Start-up Pocket Guide

Copyright 2016 by Ronald L. Krannich. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher and author: IMPACT PUBLICATIONS, 9104-N Manassas Drive, Manassas Park, VA 20111, Tel. 703-361-7300, Fax 703-335-9486, or query@impactpublications.com .

Warning/Liability/Warranty: The author has made every attempt to provide users with accurate, timely, and useful information. The information presented here is for reference purposes only. The author and publisher make no claims that using this pocket guide will guarantee the reader re-entry success. The author and/or publisher shall not be liable for any losses or damages incurred in the process of following the advice in this book.

ISBNs: 978-1-57023-365-4 (paper version) and 978-1-57023-369-2 (ebook version)

Library of Congress: 2015903216

Publisher: For information on Impact Publications, including current and forthcoming publications, authors, press kits, online bookstore, streaming video, downloadable catalogs, and submission requirements, visit the left and right sidebars on the front page of www.impactpublications.com .

Quantity Discounts/Customization: We offer quantity discounts on bulk purchases (see page iv) as well as customized versions of this and other pocket guides. Visit www.impactpublications.com or contact the Special Sales Department: Tel. 703-361-7300.

Sales/Distribution: All sales and distribution inquiries should be directed to: Sales Department, IMPACT PUBLICATIONS, 9104-N Manassas Drive, Manassas Park, VA 20111-5211, Tel. 703-361-7300, Fax 703-335-9486, or query@impactpublications.com .

Author: Ronald L. Krannich, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University. He is one of todays leading career and travel writers who has authored more than 100 books, including many bestsellers for transitioning military personnel, ex-offenders, and people with not-so-hot backgrounds. Ron can be contacted at ron@impactpublications.com .

Welcome to your new world. Youre quickly moving from a number to a name, from total control to limited freedom.

Congratulations, you more or less served your court-ordered time. Its over, youre anxious, and now youre free! Hopefully, youll never again lose your freedom. Maybe prison was a life-changing educational experience, but it wasnt pretty nor empowering. As you get older, and hopefully wiser, you really need to get a life... and never ever get caged again!

Now you face a challenging transition with a high probability of stumbling along the way. Indeed, many people think youll fail. As the parting officer said when you put on your new street clothes and received $100-200 of gate money, Good luck! Youll need it.

Youre now moving from a number to a name and from a total control environment (prison) to one of limited freedom (parole or probation). Youre breaking out of familiar routines and relationships into an unknown world best characterized as a maze or choppy sea. In a maze, youre expected to find your way out after several false starts and after banging your head against the walls in frustration. Or maybe youre on a choppy sea where youre expected to sail successfully into the future without a good boat, navigation chart, or compass. You cant control the unpredictable winds and waves, and there are serious storms you must deal with along the way. In addition to good luck, you need to develop new habits for success. Youll occasionally get lost... but hopefully only for a short time as you learn how to map and navigate your new environment and relationships.

Your days of total dependence and handouts are over. Youre on your own in a maze and sea of challenges and opportunities. Well soon see how good you are at sailing into the unknown. Its sink or swim time... or perhaps youll be banging your head against the walls of a confusing maze as you look for a way out. Dont bang it too hard youll need to keep a clear and focused head throughout this process.

Just because you did some serious time doesnt mean all is forgiven nor forgotten. Its not, especially for those who have an eyebrow-raising rap sheet, which may follow them as if it were a life sentence! Indeed, in the free world ex-offender is often considered a dirty word associated with scary and untrustworthy people who might violate you. If you committed a youthful violent crime, or did some ill-conceived things that hurt others, youll probably struggle more than most ex-offenders, especially with re-entry housing and employment issues. Not surprisingly, youll have to work much harder at gaining community support and trust. Your re-entry will be anything but easy.

Moving from a number to a name and enjoying new-found freedoms will require some basic organizational, social, and entrepreneurial skills that you may have never developed or used. Your first 90 days out will be a big test of your ability to stay out for good and become a productive member of a community. As you may quickly learn, re-entry can be scary, but it also offers many exciting opportunities for self-transformation.

Do you ever wonder whats waiting for you on the other side? Do you have a good track record of setting and achieving realistic goals? Are you a person who is known for his wisdom, drive, and persistence? Or are you often characterized as being impulsive, delusional, or less than sharp, someone who starts out ostensibly wise and well-intentioned but ends up elsewhere in Lalaland? How will your newly evolving story likely end? What challenges will you face and how will you deal with them?

If youre parachuting into your old community, consider these 15 questions about how this so-called free world will become meaningful to you in the days ahead:

• Is it the same old place you left behind? What has changed?
• How easy will it be to get a job through someone you know?
• Do you know how to best use the Internet, social media, cell phones, apps, and GPS?
• Do you still know the neighborhood and its key players? Do they remember you?
• Do you know how to get around, or do you have some learning and transportation issues?
• Are you going to hang out in the same old places and with the same people you left behind?
• Do you still have at least three very close friends, or are you down to just one...or none?
• Will your family and friends welcome you with open arms and tell you how much they missed you and want to help you?
• Or will they avoid you or be suspicious and hostile to your presence? Maybe they want you to disappear, just like you did before.
• What about your family and old friends...and enemies? Is it true what they say about friends Gods apology for family?
• Do you still have some unfinished business with others? Or do you need to drop that business and get on with your life?
• Do you know people who will give you a helping hand?
• Do you need a mentor who can help you?