The Department of Justice announced last week a bundle of prison reforms aimed at easing the transition for ex-prisoners back into the outside world. The measures include the creation of a school district within the federal prison network, reforming halfway houses, and providing funds to ensure that every former inmate is issued a state ID upon re-entering society at large.

If that last reform seems surprising, it shouldn’t be: Most people leaving prisons don’t have state identification, according to the Council of State Governments Justice Center, as IDs often expire or are lost during incarceration. This lack of identification makes it hard, sometimes impossible, for former prisoners to access social services, housing, and apply for employment — all factors proven to reduce rates of recidivism.

[For more of this story, written by Kate Wheeling, go to https://psmag.com/will-these-l...120d47b4f#.23m0o96bc]