By Rachel Crumpler
Juan Acosta, 36, left Sanford Correctional Center on June 15, after serving about 17 years in state prison. He went to Walmart that day and purchased an Android phone — one of his first tasks upon his release.
But Acosta said holding the “flat screen phone” in his hand felt foreign and overwhelming. He didn’t know how to use it. Not how to make calls, save contacts, send emails or download apps.
The technological landscape he found upon release was a drastic change from the Motorola Razr flip phone he used back in 2007, before he went to prison. It was also a jarring transition from the limited technological environment of prison where he didn’t have access to the internet or even an email address.
During his first few weeks out of prison, he learned how integral his phone and other technology is to rebuilding his life and to functioning in the community — from communicating with friends and family to searching and applying for jobs to scheduling medical appointments and seeking out community resources.
“This is really the world’s lifeline,” Acosta said.
“When I first came out of prison, it was very overwhelming for me because everything was just coming so fast,” he said. “Honestly, I was scared of not just the phone — but even my fiance’s vehicle had, like, over 80 buttons.”
Many other people leaving prison, particularly those who have served many years or who are older, face a similar shock and lack of preparation for dealing with technology. That’s what Brian Scott, who spent over 20 years in prison, experienced upon his release in 2021.
When Scott got a smartphone days after his release, it was his first exposure to a touch screen and was a significant adjustment. He went to prison in 2001 (the first iPhone came out in 2007) and left before the N.C. Department of Adult Correction distributed tablets to every incarcerated person.
“When I first got out and got my cell phone I took, like, 50 accidental screenshots my first week,” Scott said. “The first time it rang, I didn’t even know how to answer the phone.
“You feel stupid.”
Two reentry organizations working with people recently released from incarceration received Digital Champion grants from the N.C. Department of Information Technology in June to help address this gap by providing devices and digital skills training.
Operation Gateway, based in western North Carolina, received $463,325, and OurJourney, based in Rocky Mount, received $400,000.
The funding was a small portion of the Department of Information Technology’s grants distributed to help certain populations, including justice-involved people, catch up with technology.
“We really believe that merging technology with reentry will have a positive impact on reducing the overall recidivism rate,” said Scott, who leads OurJourney, the nonprofit he founded a year after his release from prison. “It’s going to give people hope, and it’s going to give them immediate access to others who can help them — and that’s something that’s exciting.”
Facilitating better reentry outcomes
State leaders are increasingly focused on improving reentry support for formerly incarcerated people so that their transition back to the community is smoother and more successful. A main driving force behind the push is Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order No. 303, a January directive that calls for a “whole-of-government” approach to boosting reentry services for formerly incarcerated people in North Carolina.
Ninety-five percent of incarcerated people in North Carolina prisons will one day return home — roughly 18,000 people this year alone. A lack of necessary digital skills required to navigate technology in society — or even access to the devices in the first place — is among the barriers people face adapting to life in the community.
North Carolina’s Digital Equity Plan released in February addresses expanding digital access across the state.
“For recently incarcerated people who are returning to a world where daily life requires a smartphone and digital literacy, a lack of digital equity could truly be the difference between success and failure,” the report reads.
Brent Bailey, coordinator of the Buncombe County Reentry Council, works with people coming home from incarceration every day. He agrees with that assessment.
“We are at the point where you really cannot function in society for the most part without a cell phone,” Bailey said. “You got two hands, two feet and a cell phone.”
Bailey said the digital skills of the people leaving prison he works with are mixed, and that not knowing how or feeling comfortable using technology is a roadblock to success.
Smart investment
Sara Nichols, energy and economic development program manager at Land of Sky Regional Council in western North Carolina, spends a lot of time thinking about digital inclusion and the best strategies for closing the digital divide.
Investing money into devices and digital skills training for formerly incarcerated people is a smart investment, she said, as it can be key in moving people toward a better future.
One example stands out to Nichols: Her $200 investment to purchase a laptop for a formerly incarcerated woman.
The woman used the laptop to finish a certification that allowed her to work in health care. That financial stability led her to getting her children back and settling into an apartment.
“I’ve been in government a long time, and I’ve spent a lot of money on a lot of things,” Nichols said. “$200 to, like, set someone up for success is a very small price to pay.
“That was a really cheap investment to not have somebody go back to jail and for her to get her life headed in a better direction.”
Plugging into success
Philip Cooper, who leads Operation Gateway, said access to phones is crucial to the reentry process. Formerly incarcerated people recognize this, too, he said, and that’s why it’s high on their priority list — often one of the first items they spend money on.
“People who don’t have a cell phone can’t be reached,” Cooper said. “They struggle with connecting with their probation officer. They struggle with building community. Some of them stay stuck and are unreachable. Now they’re isolated, and next thing you know they’re back into their old way of life.”
Cooper said the new grant funding will allow Operation Gateway to reach more people with personal devices. Operation Gateway will also use the funding to place desktop computers in transitional houses in western North Carolina. These computers could have a high impact because there will be plenty of traffic, and the larger screen size can make tasks like creating resumes and completing certifications easier for formerly incarcerated people, he said.
Cooper added that the technology distribution will come with skills training, such as classes to give people help using their devices. He also hopes the classes can build a community of people who don’t feel judged as they fumble with their advanced devices alongside their peers.
OurJourney will also start reaching new people with phones. For two years, the reentry organization has partnered with the Department of Adult Correction to provide its “first aid reentry kits” to people exiting participating prisons. Designed and assembled by formerly incarcerated men, the kits include a reentry booklet, a county-specific reentry resource guide, DMV driver handbook, T-shirt and gift card for a local restaurant that’s enough for at least two meals.
When available, the kits also contain the opioid-reversal drug naloxone, a nod to the reality that people leaving prison are 40 times more likely to die of an overdose in the first two weeks after release than someone in the general population.
The new grant funding will allow OurJourney to also provide an Android phone and charger in the kits from one prison pilot location. The phones will be loaded with the MyJourney reentry app, which is designed to help people navigate the reentry process, including some technology tutorials. The app is in the final stages of development, and Scott said he plans for it to be available for download later this year.
In addition, OurJourney will launch a helpline staffed by formerly incarcerated people to walk people through technology challenges, such as how to set up a Gmail account or how to take a picture with your camera. Scott said the staffing choice is intentional.
“They’ve been there and they know how frustrating it can be to try to learn,” he said.
Once formerly incarcerated people learn to use smartphones and other devices, Scott and Cooper said, they have seen how opportunities opened up. People rely on the devices to search and apply for jobs, much to the surprise — and sometimes dismay — of many people who leave prison thinking they can still walk into workplaces and apply in person on a paper application. They’re attending recovery meetings, support groups, virtual health and therapy appointments and more on these devices. They’re obtaining certifications, completing classes and searching for housing options.
Acosta, who was released from prison over a month ago, said he wishes he received more technology training in prison before his release so his transition to the outside’s technologically dominated society wouldn’t have been so stark.
Fortunately, friends, family and formerly incarcerated peers have shown him how to do things, and he’s slowly becoming more comfortable.
“I’m still adapting,” Acosta said. “It’s not easy, but I’m not going to shy away from the challenge either.”
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