Breaking | Grounding | Growing: Expanding the Rhode Island gardening reentry programs as a pathway towards stability

What happens to the over two million people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails? Changing in sentencing laws and policies have created a cycle of imprisonment, racially isolating and oppressing BIPOC communities. Reintegration and reentry programs are an avenue to break the cycle of recidivism. Through my work, I have developed hands-on, structured opportunities for justice-involved adults to rebuild a life for themselves by increasing the accessibility of gardening reentry programs. This project creates a space for mentorship and support for Rhode Island’s formerly incarcerated people with the goal of helping them to develop vital life skills through growing and gardening management. It is time to meet people where they are and grow a space to foster a more inclusive community during this challenging transitional period