Seventeen Years Lost, A New Life Gained
George N. grew up in New York, surrounded by a supportive family and what many would call an ideal childhood. Yet, amid that stability, he often felt out of place. That gnawing sense of not fitting in would follow him [...]
Money Post-release: Real-world Tips to Help You Build Your Financial Life After Prison
Part 3: How to Make a Budget When You’re Starting from Scratch The idea of budgeting, when you’re barely scraping by, might sound like a cruel joke. But this is when a budget matters most. You don’t need a fancy [...]
Money Post-release: Real-world Tips to Help You Build Your Financial Life After Prison
Part 2: Why Is Getting a Bank Account So Hard? What Do I Need to Open a Bank Account? One of the biggest surprises in life after prison is how hard it can be to open a bank account. If [...]
Money Post-release: Real-world Tips to Help You Build Your Financial Life After Prison
Introduction—What to Expect When You’re Starting Over Stepping into life after prison is a big moment. There’s no manual or no one-size-fits-all plan, but this is the start of something…
Second Chance Jobs: Where to Get Real Help and a Fresh Start
If you’ve been turned away for a job because of your record, you know how frustrating it can be. The rejection can get old fast. For most returning citizens, finding…
A Life Given Back: Frank S.’s Second Chance
Frank S. remembers his childhood as rough-edged and haunted from the beginning. Born in 1976 to a teenage mother and a barely-sixteen-year-old father, his earliest memories are marked not with cartoons and playgrounds, but with absence. His father was gone [...]
Finding Hope: Drug and Alcohol Support for Returning Citizens
Walking out of prison can be a shock. The world has changed while you were gone, and suddenly you’re supposed to catch up and keep pace with everyone who has…
From Silence to Strength: Sean J.’s Second Chance Journey
Growing up deaf in California, I faced challenges that many people never have to experience. Often, I was the only deaf person in my family, school, or community, leaving me…
Proof That Second Chances Can Rewrite Any Story
Some stories seem destined to end in tragedy, until someone decides to write a new chapter. This is one of those stories. It belongs to Summer W., a woman whose…
