Fact Sheets: Every Door Closed

Each year in the U.S., approximately 400,000 mothers and fathers finish serving prison or jail sentences and return home eager to rebuild their families and their lives. As these parents struggle to make a fresh start, they encounter many legal barriers that will make it very difficult for them to successfully care for their children, find work, get safe housing, go to school, access public benefits, or even, for immigrants, stay in the same country as their children. These eight two-page fact sheets detail the scope of the challenges these families face and offer solutions for federal, state, and local policymakers.