Member Congregation hosts JustDane Reentry Simulation
By Pam Gates
The MOSES member congregation that I belong to, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society, received a very nice donation from the family of a founding couple after their passing. To best use the money, the Prairie board decided that committees could request funding for special projects, and the board would evaluate and select those to fund.
Three social action committee members, including the two co-chairs (I’m one of them), had taken a JustDane Reentry Simulation in December 2024. We were all very impressed with this powerful program. My co-chair suggested that Prairie host a simulation with some of the money from the special fund. (JustDane charges $2,800 for a simulation; those who attend don’t have to pay anything.)
Prairie’s board approved our request, so the social action committee worked with JustDane’s Volunteer and Community Engagement Manager, Dani, to plan the event. I sweated a bit: even with advertising targeted to MOSES, to Madison’s other two UU congregations, and to the Prairie congregation itself, people weren’t signing up in droves, no matter how impressive I kept telling them the program was. In a leap of faith, I ordered 110 cookies from Just Bakery and hoped for the best. But I was very nervous.
By the morning of April 26, the day of the simulation, we had 33 people signed up, and most of them did show up. As the program began, a JustDane staffer gave each participant a packet with the name and brief profile of the returning citizen they would be for the duration of the simulation. Tables had been set up in the lobby and at the back of the meeting room. Reentry volunteers sat at these tables and directed participants as they tried to fulfill tasks a returning citizen would have to do: find a job, find housing, secure medication, meet with a parole officer, etc., etc.
JustDane staff and volunteers did an excellent job of demonstrating the challenges of the reentry process. MOSES Organizer James Morgan played the role of sheriff, taking people to “jail” for whatever reason he chose at the moment. JustDane Circles of Support Coordinator John Givens was a strong taskmaster; he blew a harsh whistle to signal the beginning and ending of each reentry “week” (15 minutes each) and sternly chided people who didn’t get back to their seats (“home”) on time. He made it very clear that a returning citizen has little to no autonomy.
After a harrowing hour of attempting to reestablish themselves in the community, participants were allowed to sit down, eat cookies, and listen to Dani and Givens explain the statistics of incarceration and recidivism, with an emphasis on Wisconsin’s embarrassing statistics. To close the program, two formerly incarcerated people offered their perspectives. They made it clear that support is crucial to making it after incarceration: support that an agency like JustDane gives.
I’m very glad we hosted the simulation, and I’m also glad it’s over! It was challenging to drum up enthusiasm, even though I myself am convinced of this program’s value. Probably a Sunday afternoon in spring was not the best timing. Lots of other events were going on, and it was a nice day as well. But now 30 more people have a better gut understanding of the discouraging struggles that people returning to the community from incarceration face. And that is worth a lot.