Re-entry simulation at Trevecca shows students the challenges of life after prison

By Lydia Chapman

Senior Reporter

Trevecca students will step into the shoes of someone recently released from prison on Wednesday morning during a Re-Entry Simulation hosted by the Criminal Justice Program in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

The simulation, which will take place at 9 a.m. in Benson Auditorium, is designed to give students a firsthand look at the challenges individuals face when transitioning from incarceration back into society.

Craig Bishop, criminal justice professor and program director, said the event grew out of his participation in the Tennessee Department of Corrections Citizens Academy two years ago.

“One of the nights involved the community services division, who are probation and parole, and they conducted with us a re-entry simulation,” Bishop said. “I personally found it so moving because you find yourself in the circumstances that are replicating what individuals who are returning citizens experience.”

Although Bishop has worked in the field and taught criminal justice for years, he said participating in the simulation affected him in a new way.

“When we started the simulation, I said, basically, game on. I know how to do this. I’m going to do great,” he said. “And I immediately ran into conflict.”

During his simulation, Bishop failed a drug test, was dismissed from a required therapy session and ultimately ended up back in jail. Not for committing a new crime, but for failing to meet technical requirements.

“That was kind of the emotional impact that I experienced that caused me to think I’d really like for our students to get to experience this,” he said.

According to program materials, more than 95% of incarcerated individuals eventually return to their communities. Bishop said that statistic is central to understanding why re-entry matters.

“The reality for all of us is that even though we’re sending people to prison, the vast majority will come home,” he said. “So we should be saying, let’s follow that model that we’re going to invest in them while they’re incarcerated to educate them and bring treatment and rehabilitation, and then continue that when they’re back in the community.”

Modern re-entry efforts focus on reducing recidivism, the likelihood that someone will reoffend, by addressing housing, employment, identification, transportation and mental health needs.

“If we are able to help the person successfully re-enter society and be stable in their lifestyle. So they have something like a place to live, a place to work, they can continue their education, then the chance of them re-offending is reduced,” Bishop said. “The recidivism rate drops.”

During Wednesday’s simulation, students will be assigned fictitious identities and given packets outlining their life circumstances, which may include limited funds, required probation meetings, no driver’s license or difficulty securing employment.

Participants will move through stations representing systems such as probation and parole, employers and housing services. Each segment is timed to simulate the pressure of navigating daily life while under supervision.

“The biggest thing they’ll notice is they’ll run out of time,” Bishop said. “People are out on the street and they’re trying to live, and they have an appointment that they have to go to out of accountability. If they run out of time and resources, they’re in violation.”

The simulation also highlights technical violations, failures to meet supervision requirements, rather than new criminal offenses.

“That’s what we’re trying to defeat through successful re-entry,” Bishop said, “helping a person navigate all of that so they can check all the boxes and be successful in doing everything they’re expected to do to become that healthy person again.”

Although this week’s event is limited to students in Bishop’s Intro to Criminal Justice and Corrections classes, he said he hopes future simulations may expand to a broader campus audience.

“It’s really applicable to all academic disciplines and all individuals,” he said. “To actually walk around a room and encounter those conflicts is a much more holistic learning experience compared to just hearing a lecture.”

For Bishop, the simulation connects directly to Trevecca’s emphasis on servant leadership.

“We’re encouraging students to be servant leaders and to love their neighbors,” he said. “These are a significant part of our society—neighbors that have not had the same advantages and are actually broken and need that care and empathy and healing.”

By allowing students to experience the pressure and complexity of re-entry in a structured setting, the Criminal Justice Program hopes to move conversations beyond punishment and toward restoration.