Over the last several months, Project Reentry has held workshops that share a common theme: technological literacy. Love it or hate it, technological literacy is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the reentry journey. Adjusting to life on the outside is already complicated – imagine that readjustment in a world where in-person conversations can be obsolete and where eye contact is mostly with a screen.

This year, some workshop topics included digital literacy, understanding AI, and social media. Even though attendees found the workshops insightful and incredibly helpful, these workshops barely scratched the surface of these topics because they are constantly changing. Early in my career, I volunteered at a homeless shelter teaching English to GED students. I prepared worksheets highlighting common spelling and grammar mistakes, including a paragraph with simple errors for students to correct.

But when I arrived for the first class handed out the worksheets, my students looked at me blankly. Before I could explain the exercise, one student interrupted: “We can’t even read these.”

One of our SADO clients, home after 43 years, came to our digital literacy workshop the week after his release. He had just gotten a cell phone from a loved one. But after 43 years removed from modern technology, he was hesitant to even begin using it. At the workshop, the presenter went through a slide deck which concluded with a slide of a QR code and said we should “click” it for more information. Our client looked puzzled and asked what that meant. The presenter repeated: “Just hit that QR code right here.” But the instruction made no sense to our client. He had no frame of reference for what a QR code was or how someone could "click" something displayed on a presentation slide.

What the heck is the QR code? Why does it look like a puzzle? What is there to click? What does it do? Why would you need to open a camera on your phone to make it work? Wait, there’s a camera on my phone?

We had to go back to square one: how to turn on the phone.

Sitting next to our client, I had that same feeling I had 20 years ago when I realized my GED students couldn’t read. This wasn’t about mastery, or even competency. This was about literacy, something totally fundamental that we so often take for granted. None of us really asked for QR codes to be part of our daily lives, but from restaurant menus to advertisements to museums and libraries, you have no choice but to learn what QR codes are or how to use them. Technology did not stand still while our clients were incarcerated, and they are expected to catch up almost overnight.

A basic understanding of these technological tools can turn mountains into molehills, but the process is still a long one that most of us take for granted because we’ve been surrounded by evolving technology for years.

The goal is not to turn our clients into technology experts. It is to give them the confidence to ask questions, the skills to solve everyday problems, and the opportunity to participate fully in a world that increasingly exists online. Sometimes, successful reentry begins with something as simple as learning how to turn on a phone and figuring out what comes next.

From that first step comes greater independence, stronger connections, and the confidence to build a more stable future.

SADO’s Project Reentry is dedicated to supporting individuals transitioning from incarceration back into society, offering resources and guidance on the reentry process. This column from the Criminal Defense Newsletter aims to provide valuable knowledge and guidance from the Reentry team, highlighting the critical work they do. We hope readers gain insight into challenges faced by returning citizens and the strategies used to overcome them, fostering a more informed and supportive community.

Read and learn more about Project Reentry.

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