SPN runs reentry after incarceration simulation

By KATHRYN MUCHNICK a ssociate news e ditor

The student policy network (spn) hosted an interactive reentry simulation saturday morning where students learned about the barriers to reentering society after being incarcerated in the state of indiana.

spn connects students and community partners for public policy research and advocacy. The reentry simulation was hosted in partnership with life outside reentry assistance, a south bend-based organization serving the formerly incarcerated. grace hsu, a junior studying economics and pre-health, said the project and reentry simulation have been “eye-opening.” hsu and sophomore vanshika dixit are co-leaders for the life outside project. hsu and dixit worked with Justin mcdevitt, co-founder of life outside reentry assistance and former rector of stanford hall, to plan the simulation. mcdevitt also directs the women’s college partnership (wcp), a college-in-prison program at indiana women’s prison, within the center for social concerns (csc). life outside has hosted two reentry simulations in the last six months at the south bend public library. The spn project was extended from a research-focused project in the fall to organize a reentry simulation, though on a “smaller scale” than those at the public library, hsu said. during the simulation, each see spn PAGE 4

“i feel like a lot of people focus on mass incarceration, but don’t really think about what comes after that,” hsu said.