A TikTok posted by South Carolina Legal Services has revealed what life is really like for a prisoner to be released back into society.
The point of the simulation was to demonstrate just how difficult it is for ex-convicts to fit back into normal life.
The organisation, who posted a two-part video showcasing the simulation, are nonprofit and provide low-income individuals with legal advice in South Carolina.
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Sally Ingles, the marketing and communications manager, participated in the activity among many other people.
She said: “We were all given a persona of a person reentering society and the long list of things we needed to accomplish.”
There were many obstacles throughout the ‘game’, Ingles became unstuck when she realised that she needed three forms of ID in order to meet with a probation officer, but she only had one.
Throughout the video, participants are required to complete lots of mundane tasks like buying groceries and carrying out job applications.
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The simulation also throws out ‘wild cards’ at them, which represent expenses that they didn’t see coming such as birthdays or having your wallet stolen.
In the setup, the participants did not have a lot of money to survive, which is indicative of reality for most people coming out of jail.
Ingles said as part of the ‘game’: “I actually did get some food this week which was good.
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“After that last round we came back together as a group to talk about what we had learned and just reflect on how difficult the system is for those needing to re-enter society after being incarcerated.
“There is not a lot of guidance out there.”
People in the comments were quick to remind viewers that the simulation could not possibly take into account every aspect of what life is like for a person that is trying to fit back into normal life.
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One person said: “This doesn’t even account for mental health and addiction recovery support.
“But a great simplification of a system we should have more awareness of.”
Another said: “As a public worker in social… this is amazing. All of the obstacles my clients face daily. All DAs and judges need to do this.”
Ingles added: “By experiencing firsthand the realities and challenges of re-entry, participants gained an understanding of new perspectives and discovered innovative ways to help these individuals succeed.
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“I knew the re-entry simulation would showcase the barriers of justice-involved individuals and wanted to give people an opportunity to follow my experience walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.”
Mia Williams