Photo: Zac Durant / Unsplash
What's it like to enter prison as a teenager and then be released when you're middle-aged? For former prisoners who were incarcerated as teens, re-integrating into society is often difficult. Most juvenile offenders had a history of physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse before incarceration and then suffer further trauma from being in the prison system. To help address the trauma and help former inmates adjust to life on the outside, Camp Petosega, a program organized by the Ypsilanti-based nonprofit Youth Justice Fund in northern Michigan, was created. The camp also helps participants find housing, employment, transportation and access to education. They participate in art therapy and music therapy, as well as discussions with counselors and social workers to process their trauma. For many of them, it's their first experience of "camp," much less their first time on a jet-ski. Aaron Kinzel, executive director of the Youth Justice Fund and formerly incarcerated himself, stresses the importance of addressing trauma as a key factor in keeping people out of prison.
|
|
More:
