TEMPE, AZ — In a room in a JP Morgan Chase building in Tempe on Wednesday, a group of people went around to tables, asking others for ways to get identification, bus tickets, careers and more. This group is the latest that’s going through a mock simulation of the struggles previously incarcerated women go through after they get released from prison.
“There’s all these different things that are thrown your way, that just kind of knock you back down,” a Chase employee said as they were moving through the simulation.
It’s a system some say is flawed.
“More addiction issues and got caught in the same cycle,” said Brandy Smith, who spent years at the Perryville Women's Prison.
Smith is not hiding her past. Working with the organization Arouet, she is trying to spread awareness of the struggles she and many other women who used to be in prison go through. The organization goes around and puts on mock simulations of what recently released incarcerated people need to do to reenter society. The simulation gives the community only a small glimpse of the difficulties of trying to get IDs, money, transportation, jobs, and more.
“These are things that people in corporate America probably have never really experienced because this is not our reality. Being here today has really opened my eyes up in regards to being maybe more empathetic and seeing situations from other people’s perspectives,” said Daniel Shields, a Chase employee.
The Arizona Department of Corrections says about 38% of those who go to prison, get out and commit a crime again.
Smith was one of those people, going back to prison not once, but twice. In her third and last stint, halfway through her seven-year sentence, she realized she needed to change.
Now, she hopes to help others understand and be part of the solution. She urges others to take a chance on those trying to improve their lives and get back on their feet, and that includes companies that may be able to hire those with a criminal background. More companies are starting to hire people with criminal backgrounds.
JP Morgan Chase says over the past few years, about 10% of their new hires in the United States are those with criminal records.
“One thing I can say for sure is that going through this, you can never once say you didn’t know,” Smith said of those going through the simulations. “You can’t just stick your head in the sand and say I didn’t know this was going on. You can’t unlearn once you learn it. I think that by itself, spreads impact.”
