Life after prison includes plenty of adjustments
After leaving prison, Mike had to get used to no longer living in “a glass house.”
“I was in an open setting for the last 10 to 15 years in prison. It’s like you’re living in a glass house. You do anything, everybody knows about it. There was absolutely no privacy.
“That was one of the weirdest things when I got out. I could go into a room all by myself and shut the door. I never had that for 20 years. I never had a private moment.
“It was also weird to be able to just walk down the street whenever I wanted. At first, if I had to cross a four-lane road, I needed a half mile of clear traffic both ways before I felt safe. Just getting used to the speed of things and your own mobility, it was very awkward.
“I didn’t want to drive, either. I was scared. So I took up biking first, which ultimately led to driving. I had to get an ID before a driver’s license. You realize pretty fast that you’re nothing without an ID. I had to become a human being all over again.”
— Mike
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