More than 650,000 Americans return to their communities yearly after serving time in prison. Assimilating back into life is easier said than done as formerly incarcerated people are routinely blocked from getting jobs, housing and voting by federal, state and local legal restrictions because of past crimes.

Not everyone can observe these struggles, so Establishing Sustainable Connections, The Hurdle Life Coach, and staff from the ACLU of South Dakota spoke with the community about the obstacles some of their neighbors could be struggling with.

"There's practical and then there's really the emotional," said Hurdle Life Coach founder Terry Liggins. "Feeling embarrassed every single day of who you are and what you've done and feeling like you have this blemish that causes people to not want to be around you."

Some barriers are more prevalent for different people, but the forum also informed local business owners about the difficulties pertaining to certain individuals.