[Excerpt] A few short months ago, you were looking forward to your release date with optimism. Your family and friends were planning on welcoming you home with a huge party. The unemployment rate was at a historically low 3.8 percent. Then, came the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, everything feels different. You can’t hug your family and friends—or even stand too close. Layoffs have affected nearly everyone you know, and most businesses closed. The shelves of your local grocery store are empty, as are the streets of your neighborhood.

You made a plan to establish a life for yourself on the outside. You created a resume highlighting your skills, practiced interviewing, and were even prepared to address the hard questions about your criminal record. Now, you must adjust your reentry plan to a world turned upside down by COVID-19.

Where do you start? Who do you turn to for help?