Oregon Governor Kate Brown gave every Oregonian a taste of what it is like to be a criminal on supervised release when she banned all Oregonians from going to bars. As a federal supervisee, this author has been banned from entering bars as a condition of release for over a year. Not being able to go to bars is not fun. Your friends want to go to bars or parties and you can't go because you are not allowed to go to bars or be around groups of people that are smoking weed. Now every person in Oregon cannot go to bars and cannot smoke weed in groups larger than 25 people.
Hopefully this taste of what it is like to be treated like a criminal will help turn public sentiment against such release condition so that when the Coronavirus threat is gone, people on supervision can live life to the fullest extent of the law just like anyone else instead of being ostracized. Unfortunately, the public will probably just resume their normal lives without caring about people in the community that are constantly quarantined.
In the meantime "normal" people can learn from law abiding criminals like this author by listening to these five pieces of advice for coping with government imposed social isolation:
1. Hang out on the internet: The internet gives you the ability to communicate with friends and family from home. It allows you to maintain relationships with others so that you can look forward to one day going to bars and parties with them.
2. Order everything you need online. Just make sure to disinfect your packages when they arrive. We don't want to make the U.S. Mail, UPS, and Amazon the primary conduits for Coronavirus. You might want to consider investing in e-commerce businesses that help people get what they need right now.
3. While online develop professional skills (ex: web design, graphic design, social media marketing) that will help you do your job better when you can go back to work. You may even learn skills that you can use to find a better job altogether.
4. Direct your anger towards those responsible for your deprivation of liberty. You can do this by posting your opinion about the overbearing power that the government has. Think about it, all they have to do is declare an emergency to take away all of your rights. How Orwellian is this?
5. Become a gamer. Video games are a fun way to kill time by yourself or online with others. If you think games are little kid stuff then you have not played the latest games made for adults. You can find a game where you can pretend to do just about anything. Immerse yourself in a fictional universe that is better than your real life and you will be happier.
None of the above tips will restore your quality of life to the fullest, but they will help you live like a hermit that has been on federal supervision for over a year. Learn how to cope right, make the time fly, and you will be off supervision before you know it.