For women leaving prison, freedom can bring a new set of challenges.
Finding a job and a place to live. Meeting probation requirements. Caring for children. Continuing education. Each can become an obstacle, and sometimes meeting one obligation can mean failing to meet another.
Marian University is working to help people better understand those challenges through a re-entry simulation focused on women seeking higher education after incarceration. The experience offers a glimpse into the decisions that can determine whether someone successfully rebuilds a life or returns to the criminal justice system.
For Lisa Weidner, those challenges aren't hypothetical. After spending 13 years in prison, she remembers being released with little preparation for the world she was returning to.
"I was given a folder and said, 'Here we go,'" Weidner recalled. "After 13 years, I knew nothing."
Weidner eventually continued her education at Marian, where she earned three degrees. Her experience now helps others understand both the barriers women face after incarceration and the difference education and support can make.