UB will present a re-entry simulation that will let participants experience firsthand the obstacles people face following their release from incarceration.

The simulation will be held from 5-8 p.m. March 5 in Room 25 in the basement of O’Brian Hall, North Campus.

The event — sponsored by the Prison Studies Certificate in the Department of Sociology and Criminology, the School of Law, the School of Social Work and Peaceprints of WNY — is free and open to the public; guests are asked to register in advance due to limited spots available.

Darryl Epps Jr., deputy director of SUNY’s Office for Higher Education in Prison, will facilitate the simulation. The evening will also feature remarks from A. Scott Weber, UB provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, along with elected officials and community leaders, including Buffalo Common Council Member Zeneta Everhart, Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera, Erie County Legislator Taisha St. Jean-Tard and Peaceprints of WNY Executive Director Cindi McEachon.

A panel will be on hand as well to share their own re-entry journeys after incarceration.

People re-entering society following their release from prison face several obstacles, including finding housing, transportation and employment, explains Mary Nell Trautner, associate professor of sociology and criminology and director of the UB College in Prison Program.

“It’s not only how access to daily necessities becomes a challenge but understanding how and when to contact parole or probation officers that can be overwhelming,” says Trautner. “Someone leaving incarceration, whether they were in a local jail for a short time or released after a lengthy prison sentence, often leave with nothing but a very small amount of money and a few platitudes.

“This simulation will demonstrate some of these challenges.”