qingcharles: there are a number of resources available to help you with “re-entry”, and after ten years that seems important. Generally the best help comes from private nonprofits, but there are a lot of official options too (https://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/). If you’d like any help connecting to groups in your area, feel free to ask, I can probably find some.
I just checked out that National Re-entry web site. Oh lord, as a web designer I just died a little inside. I tried searching for information and it just gave me pages of PDF internal reports about jail management etc. Literally nothing that would get me food or say, some winter boots.
The problem I've got is that my immigration status was screwed by the incarceration and my SSN is currently invalid. I can't get any ID and I can't access any government services until it is restored. I'm supposed to be in immigration jail until my green card is reinstated, but I talked to an ICE agent and they say I am super low priority as long as I stay out of trouble they won't come after me.
I would think a libertarian-orientated place like HN would be in full support. This model should be copied across the country so people aren't unconstitutionally jailed before being convicted. Unfortunately, the discussion has been focused on politics as a Democratic legislature and Governor passed the law.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion...
I am recovering too. Soon, I got to war.
But yeah I understand. Once you're dealing with multiple countries every financial/legal situation becomes much much harder.
Me, they put for a month into solitary confinement under 24/7 video surveillance when I demanded to speak to the US embassy, since they did not believe me that I am a US citizen.
There were people I was with doing months in jail because they couldn't come up with $50. I had a homeless cellmate with a $200 bond. I told him I'd get my wife to pay the damned thing, but in the end he managed to get all his homeless buddies to come down to the jail and give $10 or $20 each over three days until he had enough to get out. I won that case for him, he was only jailed because the local police chief was a piece of shit and put a false warrant out for him even though he had committed no crime.
[1] https://www.dw.com/en/presumed-innocent-but-detained-for-mon...
I've known several people who managed over 11 years in the Cook County Jail.
I did 8 years and 1 month in jail, then 11 months on house arrest, then another 5 months in jail for Tweeting about police misconduct. Then another 4 months in prison because they didn't want to phone my release site.
Anyone else rocking the "Free Kevin" bumper sticker back in the day?
This and civil forfeiture stuff always has pissed me off immensely.
I don't need anything though, I am (now) a man of extremely humble means. I wake up every morning alive and I have access to the Internet. What more does a nerd need? :D
p.s. I do accept any coupons for free SaaS subscriptions anyone has spare. Literally any tiny bit of money I get goes on subs and a Hetzner three euro/month ARM server rental!