Walking in Their Shoes: YWCA Crime Victim Simulation Sheds Light on Reentry Challenges

Participants in the Young Women’s Christian Association’s Crime Victim Simulation walked a mile in the shoes of the formerly incarcerated to learn the barriers and challenges of re-entering society after being released from prison.

In the simulation held on Tuesday at Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church, participants experienced four weeks in the life of a crime survivor trying to stay on the right path to avoid being sent back to prison.

The event coincided with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which challenges the nation to confront and remove barriers to achieving justice for all crime victims.

Tuesday’s simulation served as the educational aspect of the YWCA’s observance of NCVRW, as the program taught participants the difficulties of reentering society after being released from jail.

Each participant received a folder at the start of the simulation with a backstory of the crime survivor they were taking the role of. The types of crime survivors included those who have been incarcerated, people who have been trafficked and domestic violence victims.

“During National Crime Victims Right Week, we typically do a lot in reentry recovery education but this year we added the domestic violence and human trafficking piece to the simulation,” described YWCA Director of Programs Laura Albertini-Weigel. “Showing these different groups is important because they all have different barriers to overcome every week.”

During the four simulated weeks of the program, each lasting 15 minutes, participants attempted to fill out their “Life Card.” On the “Life Card” are living expenses and court-ordered appointments the participant must complete to avoid ending up back in jail, dead or in a halfway house.

At the different stations participants visited to complete their Life Card, such as the DMV, Bank and Social Services, participants had to ensure they had the correct forms of identification to receive assistance and enough money to cover services.

As participants moved through each week of the simulation, groans of frustration and pleas for more money to cover expenses and appointments were common. After each week, participants gathered to share their experience attempting to navigate through the checkpoints required without misstepping and ending back at square one in jail.

Participant Elissa Gross ran through the simulation twice as a domestic violence victim. The first round ended with her in jail and the second left her at a crossroads of whether to go back to her abusive partner or attempt to secure housing and employment.

Gross said these two rounds through the simulation made her aware of “all the challenges and difficulties” victims of domestic violence must weather while trying to get back on their feet.

“Essentially, at every turn for me, there was an obstacle,” described Gross. “It’s really hard when you don’t have a long-term record of continuity in your employment and your living situation and relationships are difficult.”

What Gross learned in the simulation is what Albertini-Weigel wants all participants to understand–you never know the obstacles crime victims have to overcome. She noted that learning this lesson will give participants more compassion for crime victims.

At the end of the fourth week of the simulation, Albertini-Weigel shared the statistics that approximately 70% of prisoners in the U.S. will recidivate within three years, and 30% of those released from prison will be arrested within the first six months. She added these numbers illustrate how close the simulation is to reality.

“This simulation is a priceless education piece because it demonstrates what your neighbor could be going through and how you can help them,” described Albertini-Weigel. “We’re trying to lessen these barriers of crime victims and make the population more accepting of those who have been incarcerated. Every victim has certain challenges and the more educated the community can be on these obstacles, the better the community can help them succeed.”