There are constants in the human experience.

People need enough to eat a safe place to live, and something productive and meaningful to do, to be able to take care of themselves and their families with their heads held high.

When these needs are met, citizens are free to live their lives, realize their potential and contribute to their communities.

One gateway to meeting these needs is the simple dignity of work.

But people coming home from prison often don't get a fair chance to get a decent job.

That's starting to change.

Returning Citizens is made possible by the United Way, fostering the success of those who as they return to our neighborhoods, remain a largely untapped resource, the formerly incarcerated.

Waterman II Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation at the recommendation of David Haas, the Independence Foundation.

Uh, I was a prosecutor.

I represented the government in criminal court in the District of Columbia, and I used that power to put black men in prison.

During the time that I did that work, I learned some things that changed the ways that I felt about my responsibilities as an American, as an African American, and as a person who wants to make a difference in this world.

I first met Jeff Brown at Eastern State Penitentiary where we were a guest on a TV program about mass incarceration.

A grocery store owner by trade, Jeff seemed like a CEO on a mission.

So our journey, um, in the criminal justice reform really started with a different objective, um, 15 years ago.

I'm a fourth generation grocer, by the way, Meeting with Jeff on his home ground, I heard I was personal journey with Returning Citizens.

Started with opening stores in food deserts to help low-income communities gain access to fresh, affordable food.

So some people may not have heard the term food desert before.

Can you explain what that means?

Yeah.

Um, it seems like, uh, in in this country and around the world, um, some of the most impoverished areas also have an added burden of not having a full service grocery store.

So they don't have access to fresh and affordable food like most, most of us do.

And, uh, when you don't have fresh food, affordable fresh food, it has an incredible impact on your health.

Often, um, shortening someone's life expectancy, 10, 15 or 20 years.

It seemed to me, uh, like so horrible in this country that someone would, a little baby would be born and they're gonna live 15, 20 years less 'cause they lacked a grocery store and it seems like someone should care about that.

Um, we started with town hall meetings where we got a lot of feedback from customers.

Wait, well, a town hall meeting for a grocery ... [crosstalk] Store.

Yeah.

Almost like, I'm running for office, but I'm not, I'm running to be your grocer.

So there, there was that much excitement in the community about a grocery store that 1,000 people would show up to a town hall meeting.

It's incredible.

But if you don't have a grocery store, that is an incredible burden on your life.

And the possibility of getting one and getting one that's gonna serve you is a huge.

Wow.

Huge difference in people's lives.

Yeah.

Wow.

And so we first committed that we would keep the jobs local.

Great.

And we would train.

Great.

Um, of course, what we quickly learned is there was something different.

Different in what sense?

In a, in a low income community, and I think this is true almost everywhere in the country, there's a disproportionate amount of incarcerated people.

They've been formally incarcerated.

Yeah.

And they're returning, they're returning citizens.

And, you know, most employers, whether it's a conscious policy or an unconscious policy or a biased, um, they don't wanna hire people that have been to jail.

And, uh, in one of the town hall meetings, we had a customer explained to me like she educated me.

Yes.

Like, she's not mad at me.

She wants me to understand.

She thinks I'm the kind of person that could understand that.

Um, how will this ever be a long-term success if no one could work here?

Like, how are they gonna buy your groceries?

And, uh, And a lot of people weren't able to get jobs because they have records.

Right.

And so she said to me that the way you could make this work for us and for you show the world that people that made a mistake can still do a good job.

Wow.

And what did you think when she said that?

I, I thought, uh, intellectually she's right on.

Right.

Now, the question is, could I overcome and can my team overcome our fear?

Yes.

That may be misplaced.

And, uh, after she said that, in the opening of a, of a new store, we hired a half a dozen returning citizens.

Wow.

Mostly, uh, young people.

And, uh, we were surprised at how good they were.

I'm sure there must have been concerns by some of the other employees or customers about what it would mean to have people who've done time now working in their neighborhood grocery store.

Uh, look, we all read the paper or listen to the news.

And, uh, initially my employees were, they, they were afraid.

Were afraid.

They were definitely afraid.

Like they didn't, like, like people say it's a criminal, they think they're gonna kill 'em, or they're, they, they're, they do these horrible things.

But of course, people go to jail for a lot of different reasons.

Half the people in jail are, are drug related offenses.

They sold the wrong product, an illegal product instead of a legal one.

Um, so there's more you need to know.

Yes.

Um, but there, there was an initial fear.

And, um And how did you address that fear?

Well, we're already a mission-driven company.

We have a purpose, uh, to bring joy to the lives of the people we serve.

And, um, we, I explained to them, we will not get there.

We will not accomplish our mission if we don't give people another chance.

And we just won't happen because this is the neighborhood we're in and this is the problem they have.

And we gotta be with them to help them overcome this challenge.

And, uh, the first six people, they were afraid until they were successful and they were less afraid.

And so they learned there wasn't anything to be afraid.

It wa, it wasn't this horrible thing.

These are just people that grew up in, in a place where there weren't a lot of opportunities and ended up doing something they shouldn't have done.

And once they have a chance to do it right, they're like everyone else.

I just wanna take care of their family.

I got the chance to meet and talk with some of Jeff's team.

These are folks who are formerly incarcerated and now gainfully employed.

So Alexis, you're here making these beautiful cakes, doing your thing.

Everybody's got a story.

Uh, I did a little bit of time, maybe just under 12 months, um, in jail.

Um, and being there, something, some, something woke me up, something woke me up and I vowed to never put myself in a position like that.

It was my first and my last time.

But when you came home, it was hard.

Yeah, it was very hard.

It was very hard.

So, and, and people don't understand.

They think, well, you're not in jail anymore, so it's all good.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But that's not how it works.

No.

I think the moment you, you leave prison or jail, that's where, that's where it begins.

That's when the toughness begins.

Why was it tough?

Were you working?

Um, it was tough because not a lot of people want give someone who have a criminal history a chance.

That must have been very discouraging.

It was, it was very discouraging.

Yeah.

And did you have any work at all during that time?

Yeah, a little, little temporary jobs.

Um, some of 'em didn't pay enough.

Some of 'em was just for a few months.

You wanted something more than a job.

Yeah.

I wanted something that I can see myself at for the rest of my life.

I wanted somewhere where I felt appreciated.

I wanted somewhere where I can build.

I wanted somewhere where I can learn things for myself.

I wanted somewhere where I can be an important asset to.

And this was, this was perfect.

I'm the night crew chief Night crew chief.

What's that mean?

Yeah.

- So we come in at 11 o'clock.

- Okay.

No, customers are inside.

So anything that you see on the shelves that's not including anything that's cold or frozen, we fill it up, make it look nice.

So when the customers come in, everything is ready for them.

What do you like best about your job?

The potential to grow.

There's always potential to grow.

When you put your best foot forward and show up, that's half the battle.

I know you come a long way.

I was going to school for computer technology.

The money wasn't coming in fast enough.

So I had a great idea to hustle some narcotics.

And that's exactly what happened.

The money was coming in, but then my lifestyle changed.

And how long were you in?

I was gone for approximately seven years.

Yes.

Wow.

Seven years.

So I can't imagine what it's like coming home.

Mm-Hmm.

You're a convicted drug dealer.

You've done seven years.

That day you leave, what do you do?

Oh, what I did, I had a plan.

I wrote everything down.

Wanted to give myself a chance.

And that's exactly what I did.

I followed my plan.

I said, I'm gonna get two jobs.

I'm gonna work the two jobs.

You're gonna get two jobs.

Yes, yes, yes.

'cause I, I have things I need to do, you know, I wanted to get a home and take care of myself.

'cause I was behind 'em in my forties and I did it.

And I had a slip up.

I had a, a parole officer that sat me down.

So he sat me down in a halfway house for 60 days.

So when I came back home, he knew I didn't have a job.

So he had a piece of paper for uplift solutions and brown shot.

Right.

And he gave it to me.

And that's how I ended up here.

So it actually worked good in my behalf.

Wow.

Something negative became positive.

Yeah.

Lashawna, I heard you're the boss.

Oh, What do you do?

Anybody that comes through this, these doors, I want to give 'em a great experience being here.

Tell, tell us about your journey.

I had did four years for selling drugs, but I sold drugs for 25 years.

You sold drugs for 25 years?

Yes, I did.

And my objective when I came here was to get rid of that life.

What happened to make, you know, you needed to turn your life around?

Well, one, my daughter was in school to be a nurse and she had a meltdown from me being away.

And my family is getting older, and I was raised by two good people that gave me good morals and ethics and I'm educated.

So, you know, the, the beauty of working for these people, and when I mean these people, I mean the Browns, oh, you sold drugs for 25 years.

So you've been in the customer service business for 25 years.

They wanted to develop me to run their store.

So it sounds strange, but there were actually skills that you learned when you were committing crimes that have actually helped you in this area.

For sure.

I just redirected them to something legal and positive this time around.

Yeah.

And what does your daughter think of you now?

Oh, she sleeps good at night and she's proud of me At nearby Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.

Just hiring of a handful of returning citizens has evolved into a job and training non-profit organization called Uplift Workforce Solutions.

So, so workforce solutions, we really wanna look at the root cause of incarceration and recidivism.

First driver is lack of access to money.

So when I come home, I don't have any money, but guess what?

I have a skillset.

They're probably landed me in prison the first time, and so I'm gonna use my skillset to get money.

So we take that off the table, we provide them a weekly stipend so that way they have money in their pocket while they go through the program.

When you say skillset that landed them in prison, say more about that.

Yeah, so I mean, you, you think about it, you think about the communities where individuals come from and, and one of my pet peeves is actually the term second chance, because unfortunately, I think, um, a number of individuals that are incarcerated didn't have a first chance.

So for, a lot of the people you serve, this is the first break they've ever gotten.

That's absolutely right.

And even if they've been out and they've been back and they've come out and you and, um, went into programs before.

Again, this program is unlike any other program where we do offer a weekly stipend.

We offer a trans pass.

We also offer lunch every day.

And lunch, it sounds good, right?

It's food and people have something to eat.

But it goes beyond that.

We actually use that because one of the other major drivers of recidivism is, uh, social socialization and isolation, isolation, right?

So I don't have a support system.

I don't know how to engage.

So that leads to trouble.

I don't have anyone to support me.

I don't know how to engage with someone.

And so we actually teach them by using lunch on how to relate to one another.

And how do you do that?

How do you teach those skills?

So the participants are actually required to serve one another.

So they take turns actually serving.

Also, there's social graces and, and social norms that are built into it.

Um, they build a contract where women go first.

And so women go first.

Uh, they all sit together in groups and it's men and women and they converse at the table while they're eating.

So now we're actually able to, with our instructors, work with them on how do I relate in these environments?

Our program is actually steeped in cognitive behavioral therapy.

Um, we work to eliminate social deficits such as housing, childcare, um, health insurance.

We've worked to remove all of that.

So when, when the employee actually gets to an employer, the employer doesn't have to worry about those issues anymore.

Whitney M. Young said that it's better to be prepared for opportunity and not have it than have opportunity and not be prepared for it.

And that's what we look to do here.

We, we look to prepare individuals for opportunity at the same time working to create it.

So if some of you wouldn't mind sharing some of what you've been through.

A lot of us grew up rough, attitudes, anger, I mean frustration, and we always took it out of violence and stuff like that.

I myself still with anger too, and I just feel as though it's not worth it no more.

- I want [crosstalk] - The anger's not worth it.

I wanna live a better life.

I like, I like to feel happy.

I like to help people.

I like to do things that's gonna inspire others.

You know?

Uh, at first I was only here, just, you know, come in, finish it out, just do what I have to do.

But, you know, uh, even [crosstalk] So you're just in it to, to do the time to get the job.

Just to get the job.

Yeah.

You know?

And now even being in the program, it, it has opened my eyes a little more, you know, it's even brought some of the guys that are in the same facility with me closer as a family.

How are your families?

Well, with you being here, My mom would always tell me, well, since she came outta jail, you're always gonna be going back.

Because I don't know what made her think like that, but I have been making a lot of changes throughout my life.

Yes, sir.

A lot of people will tell you for be to be here, it gotta be something, you know what what I'm saying?

Because every other program that they have, they teach you the job skills, but then they don't give you the job.

You go out here for the job and it's still your background still coming in front of you.

They, you know, they set you up.

And once your background come back, it's just like you, you feel like there's no hope.

At the end of the day, it's not about, it's not about the past, it's about your future.

That's all about showing instead of telling you get what I'm saying?

So you want to show them.

Yeah.

And right now, like I'm in a position where I don't get to see my two children, but at the same time I'm trying to pave the way for them.

Yeah.

So when you see your two children, what, what do you want them to see in you?

Upstanding.

Upstanding man.

Everybody on the outside, um, looks at us a little bit differently, but when, when we're talking to guests among ourselves and stuff like that, it's easier for me to relate to somebody that's been through the situations.

Everybody has a different talent.

Everybody has a different skillset.

Not everybody is the same, but your skillset makes you, you.

Misconceptions could be that all of us are, uh, dangerous individuals and that's not always the case.

For me, I had, I have 25 years in recovery and I've For me, I had, I have 25 years in recovery and I've always walked around and I'm telling you I've worked my way into management positions, but I've always had that thing on me that if they really knew who I was or if they found out about where I come from and my background, you know, um, just let me just simply say something about me simply just cries out for failure.

But what I listen to you, I hear strength.

Where, where does that strength come from?

It comes from me knowing that, that like, I deserve better and I am better.

And, and if I did it before, I can do it again.

My 25th year anniversary from drugs and alcohol, I spent at Alderson Federal Prison Camp feeling like, oh my God, how did I end up here?

So the strength comes from knowing that if I can survive, that I can survive this too.

And even me just sharing that about my 25 years is a step of for openness and full disclosure for me.

How about I'm tired, I am who I am and I'm tired and I don't wanna have to go back fearing that if they found out who I really am, this is who I really am.

I am a whole bunch of other things other than being a felon.

[indistinct] I guess the last thing is, so what, what's next?

Work, work, work, work, work, work.

After class we went to the nearby sanctuary of the church where I spoke about hope and change to folks across the coalition and the church's pastor.

How did the church get involved?

We believe that people can change and if we really believe in that, people can change.

If you really believe in restorative justice, then you've gotta put your money and your resources where your mouth is.

How did you end up in that criminal lifestyle?

Uh, so in 2013, I was in a car accident and I was paralyzed and spent 18 months in a rehabilitation hospital and got addicted to opiate painkillers.

And then I started selling drugs just to, um, make money because I wasn't able to work.

And I ended up going to prison for, uh, drug trafficking and did two years.

And that is hopefully my first and last time.

You're a small business person and you also are involved in hiring people who are coming home.

Absolutely.

Does it feel risky in some sense to hire returning citizens?

Everyone has potential.

Everyone has something to offer to the world and pushing those citizens to be better, you, you don't know what you'll get out of it.

You might get that rose that will open up into full bloom.

So what are you the commissioner of?

I am the commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.

So you run the prison and jail system in Philadelphia?

Yeah, that's correct.

You hear that when they say corrections, that's not what happens.

Um, corrections is for a purpose and regardless of if the person is convicted or accused, it's really meeting the person where they are, looking at them as a human being, not as a number and looking at the totality of how they arrived in a correctional environment.

And once you are incarcerated, many people lose their families.

They lose their house.

You lose your job.

You lose, lose your self worth, your dignity, your pride, and you need to be able to build that back up.

And a lot of times doors will shut on you.

And the day you left prison, what was that day like?

Were you happy?

Were you scared?

Uh, it was very overwhelming.

Um, it's like a breath of fresh air, but you've got like, uh, we're in a perfect place to talk about this, this is church, you know, so you have God and the devil like right in your face and it's like one saying, go with me.

The other saying, go with me.

And it's very overwhelming When folks transition from being incarcerated.

They deserve to live their lives and move forward.

People might think, okay, well, you know, you learn how to operate a a a a cashier station.

Mm-Hmm.

But you say they helped you get to know yourself.

'Cause when you changing, so you changing from one person to another.

And sometimes for a lot of people, um, change is not good.

And then you don't, you can't adjust the feelings and different things and they teach you how to cope with that.

And, um, and you learn how to deal with yourself step by step.

Most people don't want to be criminals.

Most people don't want to live reckless lives.

People do want to get better.

When you know better, you do better.

It gave me an opportunity to relearn myself, um, how to be Veronica again.

Uh, you're focused on Returning Citizens.

Why that group specifically?

Because they're probably the group that's left behind.

I, I am an ex-offender.

I am a criminal, I am, you know, a felon.

I, I am all of those things, but I'm also somebody who is reliable, dependable, honest, hardworking.

And I believe in myself and I believe that other people believe in me and I don't have to be labeled as that.

People can if given the opportunity can change.

And then now I work for a universal company, charter schools.

I'm a PCA there.

Um, what's a PCA?

PCA is uh, is a climate one-on-one.

I work one-on-one with challenge behavior children.

And I I love it.

What, what's your work now?

What do you do now?

Um, I'm a case manager at Prevention Point working with the opiate crisis.

It's a program to prevent people from going to jail.

So you're giving back?

Yes.

If you, if you have an ability and if you have a vision of what you can do or be, that's hope.

The number one thing I believe about all of us is people returning help us to acknowledge that we too are not perfect.

We are all human beings.

We are all better than the worst things we have done.

And we all are not as perfect as the way we can appear.

So there's good in the worst of us and there's bad in the best of us.

And it's our common humanity that really, uh, binds us as one human family.

And I think the more we can get close up to those people who have been incarcerated, the more we can learn that they have so many gifts and so much to share with us.

It's not just what we can do for them, it's what they are also ready and able to do for us.

Sometimes when you hear the statistics, you get depressed.

They're sad and familiar.

The US has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's prisoners.

It's easy to feel hopeless.

Today, we have heard the stories of women and men who have up close and personal knowledge of the system and they haven't thrown up their hands.

They've rode up their sleeves.

The people who I have been most inspired by are the brave women and men who have been through some stuff and are determined to turn their lives around.

Nobody should ever be judged by the worst thing they did.

Not where you start, it's where you end up.

Returning citizens is made possible by the United Way, fostering the success of those who, as they return to our neighborhoods, remain a largely untapped resource, the formerly incarcerated.

Waterman II Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation at the recommendation of David Haas, the Independence Foundation.