"A criminal conviction - no matter how trivial or how long ago it occurred - scars one for life" (Petersilia, 2003. p.19). In Module 4, we spoke about what works and what doesn't when it comes to keeping people out of prison and reducing recidivism for formerly incarcerated individuals. One important component to consider when we discuss reentry is collateral consequences. Watch the brief introduction video for this Module, and read the required readings. Following that, head to the discussion board to participate in an inclusive and respectful conversation about collateral consequences. You are permitted to discuss anything in relation to your thoughts about collateral consequences and how it relates to the course content we have discussed, content you have learned in other courses, or things outside of the classroom.

If you are having trouble coming up with ideas to discuss, here are some ideas you may want to discuss in your post:

• Are there any collateral consequences that were not covered in the readings that you want to bring awareness about? Do these differentially impact special populations of offenders (i.e., youth, sex offenders, violent offenders, female offenders, mentally disordered offenders)?
• Are there policies or legislation that should exist to mitigate the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction? Are there policies that do exist but should be revised? Are there policies that do exist that you think other states or countries should adopt?
• Do we need future research to understand collateral consequences? Where are the gaps in the literature?