Fresh Start
Everything you need after prison, in one place
Jobs that hire people with records, free training and grants, legal help to clear your record, housing, ID and benefits — for people coming home and the families supporting them.
69 trusted organizations · 6 guides · news updated hourly · every link checked by hand
Just got out? Start here
Call or text 2-1-1
Local shelter, food and reentry programs, from any phone.
Replace your ID
Social Security card (free) and state ID come first.
Get health coverage
Release lets you enroll in Medicaid or a Marketplace plan right away.
Find fair-chance work
Job boards and employers that hire people with records.
Guides
Jobs for people with a record
Where to find felon-friendly jobs: fair-chance job boards, employers that hire people with records, paid transitional jobs, and the programs that make hiring you easier.
11 resources →
Training, school & grants
How people with records pay for CDL training, trade school, apprenticeships and college: Pell Grants, WIOA training funds, and free programs — plus how to spot "felon grant" scams.
11 resources →
Legal help: records, rights & wrongful convictions
Free and low-cost legal help for people with records: clearing or sealing a record, restoring voting rights, pardons, and innocence organizations that fight wrongful convictions.
13 resources →
Housing, ID & the basics after release
A checklist for the first weeks after prison: replacing your ID and Social Security card, finding housing, food and health coverage, a free phone, and where to call for local help.
17 resources →
For families & loved ones
Help for the families of people in prison: resources for children with an incarcerated parent, holiday gifts from a parent inside, and ways to stay connected by mail.
5 resources →
Ohio reentry resources
Help for people with records in Ohio: the Certificate of Qualification for Employment (CQE), record sealing, OhioMeansJobs, the Ohio Innocence Project, and local reentry coalitions.
14 resources →
Latest news
All news →- Judge denies certificate of innocence for exonerated man, says she's confident original murder conviction was properExonerationsCWB Chicago
- Henderson jailer pushes reentry programReentry & jobsEyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW)
- Exonerated Barrientes Vela files lawsuits over handling of 2019 criminal investigationExonerationsKSAT
- What Happens When Prisons Take Away Conjugal Visits?FamiliesThe Marshall Project
- Reading City Council hears request for tax exoneration for Buddhist templeExonerationsWFMZ.com
- The Marshall Project is Putting on a Concert of Music Made in PrisonsPrisonsThe Marshall Project
Know someone still inside?
A letter is one of the easiest ways to help someone prepare for a fresh start. Find people who want pen pals, or look someone up with their state's official inmate locator.
PenPalsOnly isn't affiliated with the organizations listed here and doesn't give legal advice. Links go to their own websites; programs and rules change, so confirm details with them directly.