ID & DRIVER’S LICENSE

An ID card and a driver’s license — so small they fit in a wallet, and one can even replace the other.

Yet these two little things can be the biggest structural barriers to modern society, effectively sealing millions of our neighbors in a civic underworld. We at Underground Ministries have dozens of photos of men and women smiling like Jason in the photo above, so proud to have their fresh Driver’s License printout—sometimes, for the first time in their lives! 

It’s not about knowing how to drive. It’s about holding the official ticket to legally exist and move around in the modern world, without fear of getting pulled over and going back to court, then jail. 

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“You’re a ghost. You have no identity when you step out of prison.”

— Jessie, formerly incarcerated team member


It’s passing the threshold into the land of the living after a lifetime in underground culture.

Can you guess what one of the most common recidivism charges is? The law that most often yanks recently-released men and women right back into the prison system?


Driving Without A License in the 3rd Degree.

So we spend a lot of time at Underground Ministries walking our newly-released friends through this process, rolling away this really big “stone.” We’ve boiled it down to a few clear steps, which you can do together with your releasing friend.

Be sure to print this module out and mail it to them right away, so you’re on the same page!

BEFORE RELEASE

APPLY FOR STATE ID & SS CARD

  • Ask your incarcerated friend to connect with their DOC “counselor” (not really a counselor, more of a clerk inside their unit) and request their state ID and Social Security card. Prison IDs don’t work on the outside, yet most states don’t automatically issue a state ID to someone releasing from a state facility – go figure. Prison staff have to help an inmate who requests state ID — ideally, with several months of lead time before they’re released. Remind them to do that now – it’s way easier than trying to get these forms of ID once they’re out.

  • Ask your incarcerated friend to connect with their counselor and request their state ID and Social Security card. Prison IDs don’t work on the outside, yet most states don’t automatically issue a state ID to someone releasing from a state facility – go figure. So remind your friend to start the process now – it’s way easier than trying to get these forms of ID once they’re out.

    The IDOC will help you to get important documents in the following ways:

    • If you were born in Illinois, you can request your birth certificates at any time during your incarceration; everyone is entitled to one free copy.

    • You can request your Social Security card 180 days before your release. To do this, you must know your Social Security number.

    • You can request your state ID before your release. Since this may require that you have your birth certificate, Social Security card, and a fixed address for after your release, it is recommended that you begin this process at least six months before your release.

    • You can get help filling out the request forms at vital-document drives held at your facility twice every year.

    • You can also request forms from your counselor or the reentry counselor at your facility, or write to the records office.

    • If you can’t get an ID while in prison, you can get a free state ID from the DMV within 30 days of your release. To do this, you’ll need a temporary ID from IDOC and an IDOC Identification Card Verification Form, which can be requested from Field Services before you leave.

    For more info, check out this helpful reentry guide, with ID and driver’s licensing instructions starting on page 41: Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry

  • Ask your incarcerated friend to connect with their Institutional Parole Officer and request their state ID and Social Security card. Prison IDs don’t work on the outside, and many states don’t automatically issue a state ID to someone releasing from a state facility – but TDCJ says that it does! Prison staff are required to help an inmate who requests state ID — ideally, with several months of lead time before they’re released. Remind them to do that now – it’s way easier than trying to get these forms of ID once they’re out.

GET LICENSE INFORMATION

  • Let your incarcerated friend know, if they don’t already, that they can write a simple letter to the DOL saying, “I’m currently incarcerated and I want to get my driver’s license. Can you tell me what steps I need to take to get it? Do I have any court or debt holds on my license? Any special restrictions?” That’s it. 

    Here’s the address:

    Department of Licensing
    PO Box 9030
    Olympia, WA 98507-903

    In collaboration with your friend, it may be helpful to do some research on the DOL website (dol.wa.gov) while you wait for staff to put in requests and letters to be sent. 

  • You can get a copy of your driving record here: https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers-license/purchaseabstract.html

    Consider doing this step together – there is a $21 fee, which can be paid for with Roll Away the Stone funds.

  • Let your incarcerated friend know, if they don’t already, that they can use this website to determine their license eligibility and reinstatement fees. (You might have to help if this website is not available within TDCJ.) 

    Learn more about reinstatement of your license here. 

    In collaboration with your friend, it may be helpful to do some research on the DPS website (https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license). 

STUDY THE DRIVER’S HANDBOOK

It’s hard to find time to study once you’re out. Ask if they can find a copy in the prison library and get started now!


If your incarcerated friend can get a head start on the items above, the process below will go a lot quicker.

AFTER RELEASE

1: GETTING STARTED

  • BIRTH CERTIFICATE and SOCIAL SECURITY CARD

    If your friend didn’t get their forms of ID while incarcerated, you’ll need to do these first few steps with them once they’re out.  

    To get a state ID or driver’s license, you’ll need a copy of your birth certificate and Social Security card. Here’s how to get them:

    There is a $25 - 40 processing fee depending on how you order it. 

    Or, if you are able, go in person to the county clerk’s office in the county  where you were born to order a birth certificate. 

    LICENSE INFORMATION

    If your friend didn’t contact the DOL while in prison, you have to do this first step in person: go together to the local DOL office.

    • Take a number. At the counter, have them ask: “What do I need to do to get my license?” Ask for a printout of all necessary steps. Usually there are holds on the file: old courts, old debts. Get a printout of those courts and case numbers and amounts owed.

    • Grab two copies of the Driver’s Handbook to study for the test. 

  • BIRTH CERTIFICATE and SOCIAL SECURITY CARD

    If your friend didn’t get their forms of ID while incarcerated, you’ll need to do these first few steps with them once they’re out.  

    To get a state ID or driver’s license, you will need a copy of your birth certificate and Social Security card. Here’s how to get them:

    • If you are able, go in person to the county clerk’s office in the county where you were born to order a birth certificate. If you can’t go in person, call them or follow the instructions on their website to request a birth certificate.

    • Go to a Social Security Administration Office to get your Social Security card. Call to set up an appointment and find out what you need to bring before you go.

    Once you have your birth certificate and Social Security card, you can get a state ID from Driver Services. To find a facility close to you, call (800) 252-8980 or go to apps.ilsos.gov/facilityfinder/facility. 

    Note: You can get a free state ID if you visit the DMV within 30 days of leaving prison! If you have a temporary ID from IDOC, you have 90 days to get it. You’ll need an IDOC Identification Card Verification Form, which hopefully you got from Field Services before your release.


    DRIVING RECORD

    If your friend didn’t get their driving record while incarcerated, you’ll need to get it now from this website: https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers-license/purchaseabstract.html

    You can do this step together – there is a $21 fee, which can be paid for with Roll Away the Stone funds. 

  • BIRTH CERTIFICATE and SOCIAL SECURITY CARD

    If your friend didn’t get their forms of documentation while incarcerated, you’ll need to do these first few steps with them once they’re out.  

    To get a state ID or driver’s license, you will need a copy of your birth certificate and Social Security card. Here’s how to get them:

    There is a $25 - 40 processing fee depending on how you order it. 

    Alternately, if you’re able, go in person to the county clerk’s office in the county where you were born to order a birth certificate.  

    LICENSE INFORMATION

    If your friend didn’t contact DPS for a driving record while in prison, go together to the local DPS office.

    • Take a number. At the counter, have them ask: “What do I need to do to get my license?” Ask for a printout of all necessary steps. Usually there are holds on the file: old courts, old debts. Get a printout of those courts and case numbers and amounts owed.

    • Grab two copies of the Driver’s Handbook to study for the test. 

2: RESOLVING LICENSE ISSUES

  • If there are no holds or restrictions—Allelujah! This is a big stone you won’t have to deal with.  Proceed to Step 3 below.

    It’s a lot more common to get a printout of many old court cases, traffic or municipal (city) misdemeanors, old court debt the computers haven’t forgotten. Debt that’s been growing, often at 12% interest, compounding annually, the entire time they were locked up! This is where so many men and women despair, seeing the mountain of debt the system has charged them, which prevents them from getting a license. Most give up right there, if they even got this far.

    Tell them It’s OK. We’ve got this – in less than a month. Watch.

    You don’t have to pay that huge amount of money. Here’s how you get the holds taken off the license:

    • DON’T DEAL WITH COLLECTIONS

    Some of these court debts have been “sent to collections.” These are predatory agencies that buy courts’ open debts at half price and charge insane interest to the poorest members of the community. Don’t deal with collections! You will lose all hope. 

    • GO DIRECTLY TO THE COURTS

    Start at the source: you got the printout from DOL saying which courts have the original debt. Those courts still have it.  Drive there together. Speak to the clerk at the desk. Show ID and court case numbers. Your friend can explain that they just got out of prison, have almost no income, but want to make a payment plan to remove holds from their license in order to drive legally. 

    •     Payment Plan $_______/month  (ask for $25-30/mo)

    If the debt has been sent to collections, no worries: ask if they can write a letter to the judge, using a borrowed piece of paper right there at the counter:

    — include name and date of birth 

    — explain they are fresh out of prison, wanting to get their driver’s license, and are here to settle their obligation directly with the court

    — ask the judge to pull the debt out of collections and set up a minimal payment plan starting at $25/month, as they don’t yet have a job. 


    Ask the clerk to submit this simple letter to the judge, and give them a current address/phone number where they can let you know the ruling. 

    If there are debts/holds in multiple courts, repeat this at each court.

    • MAKE SMALL, MONTHLY PAYMENTS

    They may let you make the first payment then and there. If not, you should hear back from the court within two weeks; then go to the courthouse and make the first payment together. Multiple courts, multiple payments? Keep track. Maybe $150 / month? Consider these “freedom payments” the first year out. They are essential: one missed payment and the hold goes right back on the license. 


    These payments—for the first three months only—are coming from your team’s Roll Away the Stone fund. Swipe that card and roll the stone away.

    OTHER RESTRICTIONS

    HTO (Habitual Traffic Offender)

    If this hold is listed, call the number the DOL should provide for the HTO office in Olympia. Set up an over-the-phone “hearing” (quick interview) to “approve” you. The hearing officer will need you to:

    • Resolve all open courts (already in process!)

    • Remove holds/debt (already in process!)

    • Get SR-22 Insurance. Call around for cheap SR-22 rates together. Use  your own insurance agent if you like them. 


    DUI - BREATHALYZER

    This is less common, but still possible to roll away—with a little hassle, setup, and of course, money. Look up online, or ask the DOL office about your local “Interlock Ignition” service. The setup costs to get this device installed on your friend’s car can be dauntingly high. It’s another expense covered by the Roll Away the Stone Fund. Make sure you add this monthly amount to their growing budget.

  • If you plan to get a driver’s license, read the Illinois Rules of the Road. You can pick up a copy of this booklet at any public library or download it here: tinyurl.com/IL-road-rules. If you’ve been incarcerated for a long time, we recommend getting a learner’s permit. This lets you practice driving until you feel comfortable taking the driver’s test. To get a permit, you will need to pass a written test and a vision test. Once you get the permit, you can drive with another driver who has a license.

    WHAT TO BRING TO DRIVER SERVICES TO GET A LICENSE:

    • An original document with your written signature (credit card, court order, or Social Security card)

    • An original document with your date of birth (birth certificate, passport, high school or college transcript – including a transcript of college classes you took in prison)

    • An original document with your Social Security number (Social Security card, IL driver’s license record, or military service record)

    • Original documents proving you live in Illinois (bank statement, credit report, utility bills, medical record, or medical test results)

    • Payment

    (By “original,” we mean the actual document you received, not a copy of that document.)

    Your driving record will tell you if there are any issues to be resolved before you can drive again, such as: 

    • SUSPENSION

    How do you get your license back if it was suspended? Contact Driver Services and ask how long before you can apply for a new license. 

    You can also ask to meet with a hearing officer at a Driver Services office. Locations and phone numbers can be found here: ilsos.gov/facilities/facilitylist.html The hearing officer will let you know if you can get your license back, and help you prepare for your hearing.

    If your license was suspended due to unpaid tickets, you will need to pay the past tickets, get a notice of compliance from the ticketing agency, and pay a $70 fee for each outstanding ticket. This process can take a long time depending on how long the ticket has been unpaid. Any unpaid tickets can be paid at the DMV office in the state where the ticket was issued.

    • REVOCATION

    “Revoked” means your driver’s license has been taken away. Licenses are often revoked for DUIs. If your license is revoked, you may be able to get a new one, but you will have to wait for some time. The waiting periods for applying for a new license are:

    • 1st DUI offense: one year

    • 2nd DUI offense: five years

    • 3rd DUI offense: ten years

    • 4th DUI offense: life-time ban

    If your license was revoked because someone was killed while you were driving, you may not be able to get a new one, but you should still check with Driver Services to be sure.

  • If there are no holds or restrictions—Allelujah! This is a big stone you won’t have to deal with.  Proceed to Step 3 below.

    It’s a lot more common to get a printout of many old court cases, traffic or municipal (city) misdemeanors, old court debt the computers haven’t forgotten. Debt that’s been growing, often at 12% interest, compounding annually, the entire time they were locked up! This is where so many men and women despair, seeing the mountain of debt the system has charged them, which prevents them from getting a license. Most give up right there, if they even got this far.

    Tell them It’s OK. We’ve got this – in less than a month. Watch. 

    You don’t have to pay that huge amount of money. Here’s how you get the holds taken off the license:

    • DON’T DEAL WITH COLLECTIONS

    Some of these court debts have been “sent to collections.” These are predatory agencies that buy courts’ open debts at half price and charge insane interest to the poorest members of the community. Don’t deal with collections! You will lose all hope. 

    • GO DIRECTLY TO THE COURTS

    Start at the source: you got the printout saying which courts have the original debt. Those courts still have it.  Drive there together. Speak to the clerk at the desk. Show ID and court case numbers. Your friend can explain that they just got out of prison, have almost no income, but want to make a payment plan to remove holds from their license in order to drive legally. 

    • MAKE A PAYMENT PLAN $_______/month  (ask for $25-30/mo)

    If the debt has been sent to collections, no worries: ask if they can write a letter to the judge, using a borrowed piece of paper right there at the counter:

    — include name and date of birth 

    — explain they are fresh out of prison, wanting to get their driver’s license, and are here to settle their obligation directly with the court

    — ask the judge to pull the debt out of collections and set up a minimal payment plan starting at $25/month, as they don’t yet have a job. 

    Ask the clerk to submit this simple letter to the judge, and give them a current address/phone number where they can let you know the ruling. 

    If there are debts/holds in multiple courts, repeat this at each court.

    • MAKE SMALL, MONTHLY PAYMENTS

    They may let you make the first payment then and there. If not, you should hear back from the court within two weeks; then go to the courthouse and make the first payment together. Multiple courts, multiple payments? Keep track. Maybe $150 / month? Consider these “freedom payments” the first year out. They are essential: one missed payment and the hold goes right back on the license. 

    These payments—for the first three months only—are coming from your team’s Roll Away the Stone fund. Swipe that card and roll the stone away.

    OTHER RESTRICTIONS

    HTO (Habitual Traffic Offender)

    If this restriction is listed, call the number the DPS should provide for the HTO office. Set up an over-the-phone “hearing” (quick interview) to “approve” you. The hearing officer will need you to:

    • Resolve all open courts (already in process!)

    • Remove holds/debt (already in process!)

    • Get SR-22 Insurance. Call around for cheap SR-22 rates together. Use your own insurance agent if you like them. 


    DUI - BREATHALYZER

    This is less common, but still possible to roll away—with a little hassle, setup, and of course, money. Look up online, or ask the DPS office about your local “Interlock Ignition” service. The setup costs to get this device installed on your friend’s car can be dauntingly high. It’s another expense covered by the Roll Away the Stone Fund. Make sure you add this monthly amount to their growing budget.

3: PASSING THE TESTS

During all this, encourage your friend to be studying the driver’s handbook. Find people in your church (maybe outside your Team) who might be open to  studying the handbook rules with your released friend. Every burden can be an opportunity for new relationships.

KNOWLEDGE EXAM

  • Find your local driving school. Schedule a knowledge exam when your friend feels ready. The cost is around $50 per test, so it’s cheapest to be ready the first time!

DRIVING EXAM

  • Schedule the driving test at the same school. Yep: pay again.

  • Practice parallel parking together, backing around corners and curbs, looking in your mirrors, all that.

  • Pass the test!

  • Go out for ice cream.

4: PAYING AT THE FINISH LINE

The holds have been removed (good work!). 

The tests have been passed (way to go!).

Now you walk back into the licensing office and. . . pay more money to finally get your license! 

Are you starting to see why people may get out of prison, yet remain in the underground for a very long time?

Swipe that debit card with Roll Away the Stone funds and celebrate with your friend. Take a picture. Share it with the Team and the whole church. You have rolled away a huge stone from the grave system.

Your friend can now move freely—and legally—about the community.



5: INSURANCE

Oh yeah, one more thing: It’s illegal to drive without insurance. Most folks coming out of the underground shrug at this, but it’s a critical part of living above ground. – if you get pulled over without insurance, you get a court date and fined hundreds of dollars. Tell your friend: “It’s OK. We’re with you. Let’s get you set up with basic insurance.”

Call around to find the best rates. Make sure to get liability coverage. 

All the licensing costs, plus any rental assistance within the first three months, should make up the bulk of your Roll Away the Stone Fund. You’ve spent it well! 

Congratulations. This is how you empty the tombs. It’s not always fun. But seeing your friend, whom God adores, walking with fragile confidence out into the community? That’s a holy thing.