It’s not easy to start life again after one’s been in prison. Even people who’ve used the time to get some skills, get off drugs, or get an education, can still struggle. After all, people are often reluctant to hire those with prison records, even if the crime was not violent. And the outside world is very different from the prison world. That adjustment doesn’t happen easily, and sometimes, sadly, doesn’t happen. It can be complicated, and it’s interesting to see how it’s addressed in crime fiction.

Agatha Christie touches on it briefly in some of her stories. For instance, in The Murder on the Links, Hercule Poirot receives a letter from ex-pat Canadian Paul Renauld, who’s now living in France. It seems that Renauld believes his life’s in danger and wants Poirot’s help. By the time Poirot and Captain Hastings arrive, though, it’s too late: Renauld has been murdered. Poirot investigates, but soon locks horns with Monsieur Giraud of the Sûreté. As the novel goes on, we learn that more than one person could have had a motive for murder, but Giraud is convinced the killer is Renauld’s son Jack. In fact, Jack Renauld is arrested and imprisoned. Poirot is not so sure about Jack’s guilt, though, and continues to look into the matter. As the novel concludes, we can see the toll that being imprisoned has taken on Jack.

In Robert Colby’s novella No Experience Necessary, we are introduced to Glenn Hadlock, who’s recently been released from prison. He’s not finding it easy to get a job, as people are very reluctant to hire an ex-convict. One day, he sees an ad placed by wealthy Victor Scofield, who wants to hire a bodyguard/escort for his wife Eileen. It seems that Scofield is disabled and cannot leave his room. But, as he tells Hadlock during the job interview, he doesn’t want to restrict Eileen’s life. He offers the job to Hadlock with the strict warning that Hadlock is not to strike up a friendship (or any other sort of relationship) with Eileen.  Hadlock thinks this will be an easy job, and physically, it is. But it’s not long before things turn very dangerous…

Angela Savage’s The Teardrop Tattoos is the story of a Melbourne woman who’s recently been released from prison. She’s been given a place to live not far from a local child care facility, and she has her beloved pit bull Sully, her only real companion. She doesn’t much fit in, but she’s doing the best she can. Then one day, a restricted-breed complaint is made against her by the mother of one of the children attending the facility. The local council finds for that woman and requires the unnamed narrator to give Sully up. The narrator makes her own plans for dealing with the situation – plans that have real consequences.

As Candice Fox’s Crimson Lake begins, former Sydney police officer Ted Conkaffey has recently been released from prison. He was suspected of the abduction and rape of Claire Bingley, but there wasn’t enough evidence to keep him in prison, although the police searched for eight months. Ted is innocent – he didn’t commit the crime. But his time in prison has had a profound impact on him, and there are still plenty of people who think he is guilty. So, he hasn’t had much luck settling back in. On the advice of his lawyer, he moves to the small New South Wales town of Crimson Lake. There, he will work with Amanda Pharell, who owns a private investigation company. Amanda is also a former convict, having served time for a murder that she actually did commit. Together, they’re soon working on the disappearance of famous novelist Jake Scully. He’s been missing for some time, but his wife can’t collect on his insurance until it’s proven he is dead. That’s where Conkaffey and Pharrel come in. As they investigate, we learn about the deep impact that being in prison has had on them. Neither was really a conformist before, but they’re even more ‘outsiders’ now.

And then there’s Lucas Burke, whom we meet in Michael Lister’s The Night Of. He is a Panama City Beach, Florida private detective who spent time in prison, mostly related to his anger management issues. And he has good reason for those issues. He, along with his business partner Alix ‘Blade’ Baker, were raised in care, and had some terrible experiences. While Burke has become calmer, and has sought professional help for his psychological issues, that doesn’t mean it’s easy for him. Prison has left its mark on him, and he’s had some trouble fitting back into ‘regular’ society.  Still, he does his best to live a decent life, and he is a good investigator. That’s why he and Baker are hired by Candace Landis. She wants the team to find her daughter, Nora Henri, who went missing a few months earlier, and Nora’s baby daughter Emma. It’s not going to be an easy case, as there are people who have secrets to keep. But Burke and Blade keep digging, and eventually get to the truth.

Prison does change a person, and a prison record can make it very hard to get a job, to fit back into society, and more. There are just a few examples of how that plays out in crime fiction. Your turn.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Alice Cooper’s How You Gonna See Me Now.