RTA’s transitional reentry program, Reimagining Myself®(RM) is an innovative approach to reentry that uses the arts to explore the social and emotional challenges an incarcerated individual is likely to face when released. By engaging in creative arts, writing exercises, reflection, and conversation, participants work through the difficulties they may encounter when reconnecting with family, seeking employment, and readjusting to a changed world. Emphasis is placed on gaining the confidence and courage to leave incarceration behind and build a new life. Every aspect of this Reentry Program was informed by the insight and talent of justice-impacted individuals.
Program Outcomes: Reimagining Myself® 2023 Evaluation Report
RM launched in spring 2023 as part of our reentry programs New York State’s two medium-security prisons. It successfully promoted social and emotional literacy for individuals due to be released from prison after a lengthy incarceration. Through arts-based experiential teaching, RM addresses topics such as reconnecting with family, leaving behind the prison mindset, dealing with the stigma of being justice-impacted individuals, and adjusting to life on the outside.
By the end of the program, Participants:
- Gained confidence about managing job interviews.
- Gained confidence in their ability to manage conflict in a healthy way.
- Felt better able to identify and deal with their negative emotions and
problematic habits. - Developed more ways to process their thoughts and feelings.
- Felt better able to creatively problem solve.
At the same time, program participants reported feeling challenged, realizing that they were only at the start of a lengthy process, and that reentry preparation will continue for months and even years beyond the workshop. We believe that being realistic about what may lie ahead is the foundation of success. Recognizing that life outside can be overwhelming, anticipating anxiety about parole, and acknowledging the difficulties of reconnecting with family and friends will motivate these individuals to take reentry preparation seriously.
