Bail Bag Foundation: While We’re Waiting For Legislation, Here’s What We Can Do To Help Recently Released Inmates On Their Road To Redemption
Life after incarceration is full of challenges. For many former prisoners getting out of jail and transitioning back into civilian life, is a very tough and complicated journey, mainly because of limited resources and lack of support.
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Alia Kruz, who has experienced being in the system herself and now an educator in local juvenile detention centers and state prisons, knows first hand what it’s like having a second chance at freedom and the stress of it all.
As the founder of the BAIL BAG FOUNDATION, a California based organization that helps equips returning citizens with a duffle bag full of essentials such as clothing and personal grooming and hygiene products — her team’s goal is to help their transition process and allow inmates to focus on other important aspects of returning to life on the outside. As the Bail Bag website notes, “Most people coming out of incarceration do not have a strong support system. Ninety percent of inmates are released with $200 or less in their pocket, leaving them dependent upon friends or family, who sometimes may harbor resentments or cannot afford to provide support. If the goal is rehabilitation, how can we expect someone to leave prison with a sense of dignity while having to fend for themselves with little to nothing? We do not release rehabilitated wildlife until they are adequately recovered for successful reintegration into their habitat. People should be entitled to the same consideration.”
Kruz’s organization also points out the alarming fact that more than 65% of those released return within 3 years: “Many who do not return prison can likely be found in some facet of the system (psychiatric wards, treatment centers) or, worse yet, dead.” While this is a major problem for many, the group that is filled with “creative thinkers” who believe in a road to redemption are confident they can make a change in the world, starting here: helping inmates take their first big step back into the real world with the right tools because “human dignity is an inalienable right.”
To support this organization, you can visit their website bailbag.org to donate. To learn more, you could also visit their Instagram page: @bail.bag.
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