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Lisa Smith felt like “nothing was done” to prepare her for re-entry following the six years she served at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. She also wasn’t prepared for the loneliness she would feel.

“I was surrounded by women all the time, and when I got out, not only did I not have this huge community of women around me that I had lived in a small space with for six years, I was not allowed to speak to any of them — not even on the phone — or it would have sent me back to prison,” Smith said. (more…)

The last time Marlon Graham Sr. was allowed to vote, he cast his vote for Barack Obama while he was living in Minnesota.

But back in Des Moines where he’s lived most of his life, Graham is still waiting for his chance to make his voice heard on matters ranging from who should be president to who should sit on the local school board.

Graham, 42, is a father to 11 children, and some of them will soon turn 18 and be allowed to cast their first ballots. (more…)

[Source: https://www.thehawkeye.com/news/20200806/rich-mathias-formerly-of-burlington-plays-role-in-restoration-of-iowa-felon-voting-rights

The Hawk Eye, 6 August 2020, by Robin Opsahl Des Moines Register]

IOWA CITY — Rich Mathias, formerly of Burlington, hoped the bumpy road to regaining his right to vote could help end Iowa’s status as the nation’s most unforgiving criminal suffrage state, where tens of thousands of people like him were banned from the ballot box.

He had been calling on Gov. Kim Reynolds to keep a promise she made in June to sign an executive order restoring felons’ right to vote.

She finally came through on that promise Wednesday when she signed the executive order into law. (more…)

[Source: https://littlevillagemag.com/prison-recidivism-covid-19-cedar-rapids/

Little Village Magazine, 17 June 2020, by Izabela Zaluska]

Eddie Walker was released from prison last June after being incarcerated for 18 years for a robbery charge. Now living in Iowa City, Walker recalled the arduous process of finding an apartment after his release; in one instance, he was told by a rental company that he was an ideal potential renter, but they wouldn’t draw up a lease for him due to his criminal record.

“That can be crushing, because you’re thinking ‘Man, I got a place,’ … and then someone says no because you have that X in that box,” Walker said. (more…)

[Sources: https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Governor-Reynolds-pushing-to-approve-more-felon-voting-rights-applications-prior-to-caucuses-566856321.html

KCRG, 9 January 2020, Aaron Scheinblum]

With just a few weeks until Caucuses night, Gov. Kim Reynolds is continuing to push to restore voting rights for felons that have been released from prison.

Pat Garrett, Communications Director for the governor, said Reynolds “has directed her administration to do everything possible to review and approve as many felon voting rights applications before the caucuses.”

Currently, Iowa is the only state that permanently bans felons from voting or running for public office. (more…)

[Source: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2019/11/26/iowa-may-alone-felon-voting-ban-kentucky-prepares-drop-practice/4127351002/

The Des Moines Register, 26 November 2019, by Jason Clayworth]

Iowa is poised to become the only state that permanently bans felons from voting unless they receive gubernatorial approval — a distinction some opponents of the practice predict will result in legal and political consequences for the state.

Kentucky is currently the only other state with such a ban. But its governor-elect, Andy Beshear, has promised to sign an executive order restoring the rights of more than 100,000 people affected by the ban. He is to be inaugurated Dec. 10. (more…)

[Source: https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Employers-community-members-experience-what-life-is-like-for-ex-offenders-after-prison-565127872.html

KCRG, 18 November 2019, by Aaron Scheinblum]

Low unemployment might be causing some businesses to give ex-offenders more opportunities in the job market, and in North Liberty, a nonprofit teamed up with the city to have employers and other community members experience what it is like for those coming out of prison looking to find work.

According to the Society of Human Resource Management, a survey of 2,000 hiring professionals found only 14 percent of human resource managers would not consider ex-offenders. Executives said 82 percent of their felon hires, however, were as successful as employees that were not felons. (more…)

[Source: “A Resource Guide for People Leaving Prison,” Iowa Public Radio, 27 December 2017, by Rob Dillard]

A Johnson County-based nonprofit is joining with the Iowa Department of Corrections to produce an on-line resource guide for people who are being released from prison. The organization is trying to compile a complete list of support services available in the state.

The group Inside Out Reentry Community formed in 2015 to assist recently incarcerated men and women find jobs, housing, counseling services and even clothing after their release. Its director Mike Cervantes says there is plenty of support for these people, but it’s not always easy to find. (more…)

[Source: “Prison art exhibit in Iowa City to raise awareness of ex-offenders’ challenges,” The Gazette, 28 December 2017, by Erin Jordan]

IOWA CITY — Making customized greeting cards was Doren Walker’s prison hustle, a way to earn behind-bars currency of toiletries, stamps, or pop tokens.

One card colored by Walker is featured in “A Glimpse Inside: Art Produced in Iowa Prisons,” a small exhibit hosted through January by Little Village and InsideOut Reentry in Iowa City.

The 50 pieces, which include pencil sketches of Marilyn Monroe and other celebrities, detailed drawings of colorful motorcycles and two larger pieces featuring what look like cartoon villains, are part of the art collection Walker built during his time behind bars. (more…)