Research shows that most people who are released from jails and prisons have the most problems in the first year. Those problems are mainly in three areas:

(1) the pressure of not finding or not keeping a job
(2) personal conflicts with family and others
(3) the temptation, or actual use, of alcohol or other drugs

This series looks at the problems we have created for ourselves throughout our lives, and that we face immediately upon release. Does our response to difficulties make them better or worse? How do we trip ourselves up after release, and what can we do about it? Some thoughts lead us into trouble; we call them "errors in thinking." We make these errors not just when we are released - we've been making them our whole lives!

Renowned expert in criminal thinking, Dr. Stanton Samenow, explores these concepts with a group of ex-offenders who are currently in recovery. Roleplays illustrate the errors in thinking common in re-entry, and inspire discussion for the group. Group members share spontaneous realizations of how their addiction and criminal real-world experiences have been consistently woven with the thinking errors discussed. Click on each series part below to learn about the specific thinking errors and core subjects that each part features.