{"id":32100,"date":"2019-11-14T12:38:38","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T18:38:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=32100"},"modified":"2019-11-14T12:43:09","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T18:43:09","slug":"life-after-being-released-in-oklahomas-record-commutation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2019\/11\/14\/life-after-being-released-in-oklahomas-record-commutation\/","title":{"rendered":"Life after being released in Oklahoma\u2019s record commutation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_32103\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32103\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-1-1920x1280.jpg\" alt=\"Warren Rawls stands on a porch in front of a stone house. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-1-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-1-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-1-1620x1080.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Warren Rawls wants to stay completely sober and out of trouble so he can be in his children&#8217;s lives.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.simplecast.com\/145ec816-2fe6-4dc4-91e6-c5a4a31b0642?dark=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>Prison is not fun anymore for Warren Rawls. The 36-year-old has been in and out of prison six times, and he has decided he\u2019s not going back. He says during a recent statewide prison lockdown he was handcuffed everywhere he went \u2013 even the shower.<\/p><p>Rawls is one of more than 450 Oklahomans set free in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/11\/04\/775982538\/oklahoma-prisons-releasing-hundreds-of-non-violent-offenders\">the nation\u2019s largest single-day commutation on record.<\/a>\u00a0Two days after being discharged from Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing, Rawls is standing on the porch of a sober living home in Oklahoma City, waiting to claim a bed.<\/p><p>The sober living home is a transitional living arrangement designed to provide support for people exiting drug treatment or prison.<\/p><p>\u201cIt\u2019ll keep me sober because I was a drug addict and it needs to hold me accountable for my actions,\u201d Rawls said.<\/p><p>He has struggled with a meth addiction since he was 12. Now, he\u2019s been sober for a year.<\/p><p>\u201cI left home and one of my best friends was a drug dealer,\u201d Rawls said. \u201cThat\u2019s how we made money.\u201d<\/p><p>The addiction led Rawls in and out of prison for multiple drug crimes and theft. The last time he got in trouble, Rawls was charged with trafficking meth. He agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge with a 10-year prison sentence and 10 years of probation.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32104\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32104\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-2-1920x1280.jpg\" alt=\"Warren Rawls sits on a bench in front of a stone house. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-2-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-2-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-2-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-2-1620x1080.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Warren Rawls regularly checks text messages on his new phone and looks at pictures of his children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>An early release<\/h3><p>However, he didn\u2019t serve his entire sentence because of the commutation Oklahoma voters made possible when they chose to make felony drug possession and certain felony property crimes misdemeanors.<\/p><p>People who were already in prison before the law changed weren\u2019t eligible to get out until the Oklahoma Legislature decided to make the law retroactive earlier this year.<\/p><p>The opportunity got Rawls out of prison early, but his release was just the first step.<\/p><p>\u201cMan, I\u2019(ve) just been trying to get my life back to(gether),\u201d Rawls said. \u201cYou know what I mean?\u201d<\/p><p>He wants to stay sober for his 8 and 10-year-old sons. He wants them to know their father.<\/p><p>\u201cI haven\u2019t been in their life (be)cause I\u2019ve been in prison,\u201d Rawls said. \u201cI got to be a dad to them so I got to change up.\u201d<\/p><p>That means Rawls has to collect and assemble all the pieces of a functioning adult\u2019s life.<\/p><p>After nearly a week of cobbling together transportation by catching buses and asking for rides, Rawls has a home, food stamp card, groceries, a few changes of clothes, a bus pass, and\u00a0 he\u2019s looking for a job.<\/p>\n<h3>Job searching after prison<\/h3><p>Rawls sits in a small classroom with several other men recently released from prison. They\u2019re at The Education and Employment Ministry, or TEEM, in Oklahoma City working on job skills and looking for work.<\/p><p>At a computer working on the first resume he\u2019s ever made, Rawls gets help from TEEM\u2019s Reentry Program Supervisor Abby Otto.<\/p><p>\u201cWhat was the last job that you had?\u201d Otto asks Rawls.<\/p><p>For a moment, Rawls struggles to phrase the official job title, but eventually says he worked as a general laborer for a commercial landscaping company. Otto tells him to write it down.<\/p><p>Rawls types slowly, one finger at a time, now and then he pauses to get spelling help.<\/p><p>Otto says it\u2019s important for people fresh out of prison like Rawls to learn how to put their best foot forward in a job search.<\/p><p>\u201cSo that when employers look at them, they don\u2019t see a prisoner, they don\u2019t see a (Department of Corrections) number, they see a person who\u2019s going to be a great employee and an asset to their company,\u201d Otto said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32102\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32102\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Abby-Otto-1920x1280.jpg\" alt=\"Abby Otto sits in a chair in her office at TEEM. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Abby-Otto-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Abby-Otto-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Abby-Otto-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Abby-Otto-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Abby-Otto-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Abby-Otto-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Abby-Otto-1620x1080.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abby Otto says people released from prison need community support if they&#8217;re going to reconstruct their lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Why jobs are important<\/h3><p>Otto says Rawls and everyone else released from prison needs a supportive community to help them avoid returning to criminal life. She believes jobs are part of building that community.<\/p><p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t just mean getting a paycheck,\u201d Otto said. \u201cBut it does mean getting your rhythm back.\u201d<\/p><p>Rawls\u2019 clicks away at the keyboard as he moves on from his resume. In another first, he starts searching the website \u2013 <em>Indeed <\/em>\u2013 for jobs. He types \u2018heavy equipment operator\u2019 into the search bar. The opportunities and their requirements fill the screen.<\/p><p>\u201cEveryone wants a CDL,\u201d Rawls said.<\/p><p>Rawls doesn\u2019t even have a regular driver&#8217;s license. It was suspended years ago.<\/p><p>He says he\u2019ll have to try to get a provisional driver\u2019s license, that\u2019ll let him drive to work.<\/p><p>\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m going to have to start out with,\u201d Rawls said.<\/p><p>But, applying to jobs online is uncomfortable for Rawls. He asks another TEEM employee if he can get addresses for companies and just apply in person.<\/p><p>The employee explains that today most companies require an online application, but she promises to help him find some that will take walkins.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32106\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32106\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-3-1920x1606.jpg\" alt=\"Abby Otto points at a computer screen. Warren Rawls sits at the keyboard with his hand on the mouse. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-3-1920x1606.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-3-672x562.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-3-768x642.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-3-150x125.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-3-300x251.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-3-620x519.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2019\/11\/Warren-Rawls-3-1291x1080.jpg 1291w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abby Otto and Warren Rawls built Rawl&#8217;s first resume.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>A hopeful start<\/h3><p>At the end of the day Rawls has a list of prospective companies.<\/p><p>\u201cI got like six different companies doing what I do,\u201d he said. \u201cI accomplished quite a bit \u2026 I got a resume done.\u201d<\/p><p>Rawls is now out talking to those companies looking for a job. He\u2019s unique in that he reached out immediately for support.<\/p><p>The staff at TEEM says they didn\u2019t see very many people after last Monday\u2019s release, but now that newly released prisoners have had a week to reconnect with their families, more are starting to reach out, which is key to staying out of prison.<\/p><p>According to the Department of Corrections, nearly a quarter of people\u00a0released from Oklahoma prisons end up back behind bars.<\/p><p>Warren Rawls is optimistic. He says out of the six companies he\u2019s going to, one of them will hire him.<\/p><p>\u201cI got some old jobs that they can call \u2026 (work) keeps me out of trouble,\u201d Rawls said. \u201cAs long as I\u2019m working I don\u2019t have idle time. Idle hands is the devil.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After being released in the nation&#8217;s largest commutation on record, one man is picking up the pieces of his life. Warren Rawls wants to give up criminal life and find a job, and be a father to his children. It&#8217;s his sixth time leaving prison and he&#8217;s determined it will be his last. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":32106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"page-noFeature.php","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[1177,1175,1176,1174],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32100"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32100"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32114,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32100\/revisions\/32114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}