Barbed wire seen behind a fence at an Alabama prison. A formerly incarcerated man told a state commission Tuesday those coming out of prison need access to identification and work documents. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
A person who spent nearly four decades incarcerated within the Alabama Department of Corrections urged members of a state commission Tuesday to ensure that other people in state prisons have the resources to transition back when their sentences end.
Ronald McKeithen, reentry coordinator and advocate for Alabama Appleseed, asked the Reentry Alabama Commission to consider allowing people in prison to obtain critical documents and connect them to services before their release.
“The one thing we have to realize, we are dealing with different people, different individuals,” McKeithen said. “One key or one plan is not going to fit everybody. We have guys coming out with stress, who are traumatized (and have) health issues. One thing about Alabama is that you have many resources, the thing is finding them.”