CONCLUSION

If you are in reentry, you have quickly realized how important these various forms of identification (“ID”), key documents, and civic building blocks are to rebuilding your life, your identity, and your sense of self. To review, the BUILDING BLOCKS OF REENTRY: ID & VOTING CHAPTER covered the following topics:

Birth certificate

Social Security Number (SSN) and card

California state ID, driver license, and municipal ID

ID options for undocumented people

U.S. passport

Tribal enrollment and Tribal ID card

Library card

Voter registration and voting rights

Selective Service registration

We hope this chapter has empowered you to gather the important documents and ID you need to start over strong — and to understand the different steps and issues that might come up, so you can plan ahead.

Another important set of documents — not covered in this chapter — are copies of your criminal record. It is important to know what could show up from your criminal record as you apply for public benefits, programs, housing, and jobs; how to spot and fix errors; and how to get help with making your record less visible and less powerful by “cleaning” it up. Criminal record issues are so important in reentry that we have dedicated an entire chapter of this guide just to these issues. Go to the UNDERSTANDING & CLEANING UP YOUR CRIMINAL RECORD CHAPTER, beginning on PG. 931, to learn more.

Congratulations on all you have accomplished! If you require further assistance, feel free to call Root & Rebound’s weekly Reentry Legal Hotline at 510-279-3662, any Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. PST (except holiday closures), and our legal team will do its best to provide you with information about reentry and you rights with a record. You can also email questions to Root & Rebound at [email protected], or write a confidential, legal letter to: Root & Rebound, 1730 Franklin Street, Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94612.