ABSTRACT
Reentry, an industry designed to facilitate the reintegration of ex-inmates into society, is typically focused on how ex-inmates meet basic needs for housing, food, and employment. Yet the research overlooks the importance and power of former inmates’ dreams and their own vision for personal growth and transformation, and ignores the importance of autonomous, inmate-initiated programs inside prison that facilitate personal development. This chapter explores how Breathing Space, a 32.5 acre rural cooperative in upstate New York, is led by returning citizens and focuses on providing programs and initiatives by and for prisoners in New York State Prisons.
