When someone is released from a California state prison, they’re handed $200 in gate money, a number that has remained unchanged since 1973.
Many people exiting prison have lost touch with their community and often don’t have someone to pick them up. Instead, they’re dropped off at the nearest bus station with no itinerary, no reentry guide, not even a printed map.
“We come from a life in institutions where people are assaulted, where there are riots, where you see people get stabbed and murdered,” said Moses Gallegos, who was released in 2014 after serving 19 years. “That first day, believe it or not, it is scarier than all of that for a lot of people. Because it’s free.”
