Making The Most Of Your Time In A Halfway House
Posted on: 6 June 2022
If you're released from prison on the condition that you spend time in a reentry transitional center, aka a halfway house, you might not be able to choose the specific house you go to. However, you can choose to make your time there as productive as possible. That doesn't mean you have to be a busy bee, constantly working on chores or what have you. But whatever you do there, choose to make it something that helps you reintegrate into society and helps prepare you for when you are released.
Seek Out Help With Technology
The advances in technology over the years are among the biggest obstacles to anyone who has been in prison for even a couple of years. Seek out help with technology. Ask your lawyer to point you in the right direction, ask family members or friends, and talk to the people running the halfway house – ask them to show you what they can about basic communications and computers now. You don't need to learn to program, but if you were in prison for the past 15 years, for example, smartphones might not be your first choice of phone communication – yet they're almost indispensable now. The longer you were in prison, the more slowly you should take things so that you don't get overwhelmed.
If You Can Get a Smartphone, You Can Take Free Online Classes
There are a lot of free online classes that you can take at your own pace. If you can get a smartphone of your own, you can find something. Start with one, and look for something that interests you. While you can take classes that teach practical skills like coding, it's fine to take one that simply looks like fun if it helps you relax. You are likely going to be overwhelmed with choices the first time you look for these classes; start with university websites and see if they offer "open" courses or online courses for free. Halfway houses often require residents to find work; when you have adjusted to working somewhere, you might be able to ask your supervisor about classes or subjects that could help you advance and increase your work skills.
Look Into Meditation if You Don't Do It Already
You have not had the easiest life, and the transition out can be difficult. This is especially true if you're surrounded by the same influences that led you into prison in the first place. Meditation can help you quiet milder forms of anxiety and help you process all the weirdness going on around you. All you need is the ability to be quiet and undisturbed, which means you can even meditate while on the bus because basic meditation is just about being present and not letting your mind wander off into distressing chatter. Look up techniques and try to practice them daily.
To learn more, contact a reentry transitional housing center near you.
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