National Public Radios did a series of thoughtful radio diaries some years ago, and the stories put a human voice to the statistics we've collected for you about the challenges of reentry. "Five inmates, four correctional officers and a judge were given tape recorders. For six months, the diarists kept audio journals and recorded the sounds and scenes of everyday life behind bars: shakedowns, new inmate arrivals, roll call, monthly family visits, meals at the chow hall, and quiet moments late at night inside a cell."
One of the most poetic prison radio stories we've heard describes a musical theater piece involving young women in a Chicago detention center (it aired on This American Life at the end of last year). Try to get over any initial skepticism you may have .... this one is gripping. If you want to skip directly to this segment of the show, it begins at 52:45.
