Neighborhoods’ Peril For The Formerly Incarcerated

Abstract

More than 600,000 individuals are released from prison in the United States each year, and 40 percent will be back in prison within three years. Indeed, many social critics have claimed that “nothing works” to rehabilitate prisoners. However, this essay argues that residential change is an overlooked solution to persistent recidivism. It does so by chronicling the life of Kenneth Beaulieu, a formerly incarcerated individual who left Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and started a new life in Texas. Kenneth’s story reveals how a fresh start in a new location can help foster a pathway out of crime.