Life After Prison, Life After War: Veterans in Transition to Civilian Life

FAIN: AV-279589-21

New York University (New York, NY 10012-1019)
Alisha Ali (Project Director: October 2020 to September 2024)
Joe Salvatore (Co Project Director: April 2021 to September 2024)

A discussion leader training program and three eight-week discussion groups for 70 incarcerated veterans, co-sponsored with the DE-CRUIT program.

New York University, the DE-CRUIT Veterans Transition Program, and NYU’s Prison Education Program propose a series of discussion groups for veterans who have been previously incarcerated. The groups will examine writings by Shakespeare and other plays, poetry, short prose, and historical texts and will apply that examination to an analysis of events and experiences connected to World War I and the War in Afghanistan. The discussions will illuminate the following themes: (a) the insights that can be gained from exploring war and the veteran experience in supporting the post-prison transition, and (b) the role of camaraderie and community in overcoming trauma and readjusting to civilian life. All of the veterans who will train to be discussion leaders will have previously completed the DE-CRUIT program and have served as DE-CRUIT facilitators. Authors of many of the key humanities sources will co-lead discussions of their writings alongside the veteran discussion leaders.