Fitting In, Standing Out: My Transpective, Shawn

Reentry Reframed

Social butterfly, Shawn, enjoyed the glamorized nightlife scene until it led to a path of addiction. Ultimately, Shawn was sentenced to federal prison for two separate convictions totaling the better part of a decade. Shawn, a transgender individual who identifies as a woman, shares her journey through the justice system. In this episode, she breaks down the levels of ‘status’ within jails, low and medium security penitentiaries, while explaining how being a “she” in a “he” prison brought feelings of loneliness and depression. Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Shawn gained hope as she began the process of reentry. With the acceptance, support, and encouragement of a residential reentry center, a fresh outlook on life was the catalyst to her current success story.