<!-- wp:html --><p>Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images </p>
<p>Returning to society <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ex-inmates-going-back-to-prison-to-collect-a-paycheck">after spending time incarcerated</a> is difficult. For many people, like Altimont Mark Wilks, the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-are-democrats-making-it-harder-to-hire-child-care-workers">government makes it even harder</a> by creating new ways to punish them permanently, even after they complete their sentence.</p>
<p>Altimont owns Carmen’s Corner Store in Hagerstown, Maryland, a community where about <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:*2F*2Fdata.census.gov*2Fmap*3Fq=snap*26g=040XX00US24*25248600000*26cid=S2201_C04_001E*26vintage=2020*26layer=VT_2020_860_00_PY_D1*26mode=thematic*26loc=39.6581,-78.1550,z8.5972/1/01000189b6ac137e-572c228e-cb7b-4b36-bfaa-5bcc65fb247e-000000/r8qXhhPccIfHBVOVHbbYPZQcgME=333__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!LsXw!RgB3DCkeOXxhln3zIgvo0UaAYB4X0CMtzuQph0AwZ_gHqwNSstFZc1o05ZQJ4ixKGp6gJjDReFiPpNPojyuN%24">20 percent</a> of people rely on the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/food-stamps-under-threat-house-gop-wants-to-cut-dollar205b-from-snap-vertical-dek-the-gops-ascendant-libertarian-wing-is-taking-aim-at-food-stamps-eleanor-clift-on-whether-theyll-survive">Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)</a> to buy their groceries. But a federal agency decided that Altimont can never accept SNAP as a form of payment at Carmen’s.</p>
<p>That decision isn’t because Altimont has done anything wrong as a business owner, but rather because of unrelated crimes from 2004, for which he’s already served his time.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-government-makes-it-harder-for-the-formerly-incarcerated-to-be-good-citizens">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p><!-- /wp:html -->
Altimont owns Carmen’s Corner Store in Hagerstown, Maryland, a community where about 20 percent of people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy their groceries. But a federal agency decided that Altimont can never accept SNAP as a form of payment at Carmen’s.
That decision isn’t because Altimont has done anything wrong as a business owner, but rather because of unrelated crimes from 2004, for which he’s already served his time.
