How are you integrating equity into your work with the reentry workforce?
“With Words”
The month of April is recognized as “Second Chances Month” across our country. Justice related organizations, reentry stakeholders, and others will take time to recognize those that have successfully returned home from our prisons and jails, while others in our communities will consider how we can better serve those individuals and their families that have been impacted by our criminal legal systems. Over the past years as I have taken the journey from incarceration to freedom, I have also learned that the words we use truly matter. So it is in this respect that I must take deference with our declaration of “Second Chances Month”.
Integrating equity in our work means first being aware that the little things like our “words” really matter. We have over 2 million people behind the walls of our prisons and jails, and well over 70 million people who face the challenges of a criminal history in our country. It is beyond dispute that there are a disproportionate number of individuals incarcerated who are black and brown, many who have faced poverty, addiction, behavioral health issues, or were raised in settings with challenges that we could not possibly imagine. It is this overwhelming majority that never really had a “first chance”. While I recognize the intention behind the creation of “Second Chances Month”, I am also acutely aware of the reality that men and women who have been impacted by our criminal justice systems should not be the focus of our attention one month out of a year, but in order to change the way we support, educate, and guide those coming home from our prisons and jails, everyday day should be one where we give people a chance to move forward with life and use the lessons from their past to make a new tomorrow.
It is also well recognized that over two-thirds of those who have been incarcerated will find themselves returning behind the wall of our prisons and jails within three years of release. This staggering number is indicative of our gross failure to help those behind the walls prepare for their release and support them as they return home. Many of the individuals in our carceral settings have far more than one encounter with our criminal system, and the notion of us stopping at those who deserve a “second chance” does not accurately reflect the reality that many individuals may require a third, fourth, or fifth chance at finding their way in life.
What do you believe needs to change to help people with records gain equity in society?
Education for all!
It will be through the windows of education and meaningful skill development, training, and career preparedness that the doors of career opportunities will open for those that have been justice impacted. I am humbled to lead an organization at the Petey Greene Program that grants everyone irrespective of age, color, length of stay, religion, gender, education, or any other conceivable demographic, the opportunity to succeed and value the passion of our tutors, students, and staff in making this world a far better place for all.
