ABSTRACT
On the day of my release, through the intercom, I heard the following words: “Lumbreras, get ready, your ride leaves in 15 minutes, unless you want to stay here longer.” The day was November 12, 2014, my release date from the Conservation Fire Camp program, which operated in conjunction with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and where I served a portion of my prison sentence. While I knew I was stepping out of the California prison system, I felt a strong disconnect from what it really meant to live again away from the continuous presence of correctional officers, locked doors, controlled meals, and the constant sound of jangling keys attached to correctional officers’ waists as they patrolled the hallways. This was my first time being released from prison, and I was unaware of what to do or what to expect during my first 24 hours after being released. I was not prepared to return to society, I did not know where I would spend the night, and did not know where I would be welcomed. Being released brought anxiety and distress of the unknown possibilities that would/could/should happen in my first 24 hours after being released. I did not want to burden my family or friends with all the baggage that came with reentering society. I thought I could be an independent person again, but I was clueless about how I would survive my first 24 hours after being released.
