There is literature which considers the challenges of prisoner release and reentry but little research which addresses the successful resettlement of formerly-incarcerated individuals in the years, not months, after release from prison. This article attempts to partially fill this void by focusing on the intersection of two temporal issues: duration of incarceration and the impact of this time on long-term resettlement. Using data from an ethnomethodological study of successful former long-term prisoners, this article discusses the post-carceral challenges encountered by ex-convicts, the strategies used to overcome these and concludes by considering these in relation to the prison expansionist agenda. (Published Abstract)