A new book by EJP alumnus Raylan Gilford talks candidly about the emotionally fraught time of reentering society after a lengthy prison term. Navigating ReEntry Trauma: A Guide For Life After Lockup is his fourth book. EJP will be hosting a book launch with Raylan on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Murphy Lounge at the University YMCA (1001 S. Wright St., Champaign).  

Raylan spent 28 years in prison, became an EJP student when he was at Danville, and was released in 2023. Now living in Chicago, he works with WIN Recovery and is on EJP’s Reentry Resource Program Advisory Committee. He shares that he is excited to be getting married this October.  

Some may remember when Raylan gave an EJP Author Talk last year for his book Progressive Traumatic Prison Stress Syndrome (pictured above). This is another book on the deeply personal impact of incarceration after a person is released.  

ReEntry Trauma opens with a discussion by Raylan of what he calls his “emotional modulation meter”: 

“[I]t’s the part of a person that helps regulate emotions. You get angry, but you know how to calm down. You feel joy, but you don’t get carried away. You get hurt, but you don’t lose control. Most people take that inner balance for granted.” 

While others have this regulating function, after nearly three decades of incarceration, Raylan says, “Mine is broken.”  

Other chapters deal with fear, family, grieving, and thawing one’s heart. The writing is vulnerable and brutally honest. 

What most people on the outside do not understand, Raylan writes, is that although a person might be free, “Freedom isn’t free of fear.” 

“If no one brings attention to this fear,” he explains, “the deep, layered fear that comes from surviving prison and entering a world with no armor, then how can we heal from it? How can we manage what we won’t even name?” 

Raylan writes largely to offer support and solace for people like him who are formerly incarcerated. His books are also helpful for family members and loved ones to gain insights about the experiences of incarceration and reentry.  

What Raylan does to calm his nerves is often just to breathe. Other times, he admits, it’s necessary to cry. Raylan writes poetically:  

Let yourself cry. 
That’s your medicine. 
 
That’s not dysfunction. 
That’s healing. 
That’s the process. 
 
That’s your heart, coming back to life. 

Attend Raylan’s book talk to hear his insightful words for yourself. Free copies of the book are available at the EJP offices while supplies last. You can also purchase a copy of Navigating ReEntry Trauma online.

This is a free event and all are welcome. We would appreciate if you would please RSVP here.  

Raylan Gilford’s other books are available for purchase at the links below.  

Progressive-Traumatic Prison Stress Syndrome 

Prison Love: How To Maintain A Penitentiary Relationship 

What Would You Do If You Were Me?: A Testimony of Survival in Prison