The Roundtable Gathered to Highlight Second Chance Month

LAS VEGAS, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Overcoming the longs odds of a life prison sentence, a year in solitary confinement, generational drug addiction and gang involvement 10 former felons who collectively served more than 100 years this week shared their journeys from incarceration to success and why second chances are necessary.

The 'National Comeback Kids Panel Discussion' was hosted on April 30 by HOPE for Prisoners (HFP), the Nevada-based nonprofit providing formerly incarcerated people with long-term support, and streamed live to over half a million inmates nationwide. The inspirational conversation can be viewed here.

"Today's inmate is tomorrow's neighbor," said entrepreneur Keidrain Brewster, who founded a trucking and logistics company after serving 13 years for robbery and assault. "So, it's very important that we are working with individuals reintegrating back into society. Public safety is rehabilitation."

The panelists included entrepreneurs, best-selling authors, activists, and business owners such as:

• Jon Ponder, Founder and CEO of HOPE for Prisoners
• Alice Marie Johnson, Founder of TAG Foundation
• Marcus Bullock, Founder and CEO of Flikshop
• Dave Durocher, Executive Director of The Other Side Academy
• Victor D. Lombard, professionally known as DIVINE, hip-hop/rap recording artist and Founder and CEO of Solvent
• Antong Lucky, President of Urban Specialists
• Glenn E. Martin, Founder and President of GEMrealestate, LLC + GEMtrainers
• Tracey Syphax, President and CEO of Phax Group LLC
• Dr. Trell Webb, Founder and CEO of Real Life World Wide

The panel discussion is part of Second Chance Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the obstacles faced by people reentering society after incarceration and to promote the idea that individuals who have been incarcerated deserve a second chance.

"Nothing is more lethal than a good excuse for failure and that's what we are confronting today," said civil rights leader Robert L. Woodson, who moderated the discussion. "We believe that people watching this broadcast and others in America are desperate for an affirmative message, that people are motivated to achieve when you show them victories that are possible, not injuries to be avoided."

Despite each panelist taking unique path, many echoed similarities in their methods to success, such as transferring skills used on the street to tools for entrepreneurship and using the times spent in prison to begin the transformation into who they aspired to be.

"I was told I was going back to the gangs, the drugs. You're going to have an 'X' on your back and that 'X' is going to keep you from opportunities. You're not going to be able to get an apartment, you're not going to get a job, etc.," said Antong Lucky, former leader of the Dallas 415 Bloods Gang and current Co-Chair of Heal America.

"And I remember saying that if the 'X' is what gets me out of opportunities, then by God, I'm going to make the 'X' what gets me opportunities."

The panelists have gone on to employ and mentor many others with a criminal record.

"I know the talent that lies behind prison walls all across this country," said serial entrepreneur Tracey Syphax. "When we afford incarcerated people an opportunity to learn business and to start business, guess what we do? We go back and reach our brothers and sisters that we left behind."

Each an influential voice in criminal justice reform, the speakers also discussed creating an easier path forward for the 70 million Americans who have spent time in prison.

"When one person goes to prison, the entire family goes with them. Don't ever think the decisions we make in life are only going to impact you," said Alice Marie Johnson, who was freed from a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense with the help of Kim Kardashian. "You can still sow good seeds into the lives of your children. You can use your testimony even in prison to divert someone else from coming that way. It does not have to become a generational curse in your family."

CEO of HFP Jon Ponder closed the conversation with a piece of advice for those viewing from prison, "Take a look at these examples and know there is nothing on the inside of them that is not on the inside of you and you can tap into that while you're inside those institutions."

The panel, followed by a gala, capped a series of events hosted by HFP to mark Second Chance Month. This May, in collaboration with HPF and the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC), the Southern Desert Vocational Village based at the Southern Desert Correctional Center (SDCC) will open. The vocational training center will provide 800 incarcerated participants with skills in high-demand occupations prior to their release.

More than 450 formerly incarcerated people graduate every year from HFP, setting themselves on a path to lifelong success. HFP's reintegration programs have a 8.5% recidivism rate for those who graduate, compared to Nevada's overall recidivism rate of more than 28%. Participants have the opportunity to develop skill sets, seek work, complete education and/or vocational training, and secure permanent housing prior to reintegration.

About HOPE for Prisoners:
Operating since 2010, HOPE for Prisoners is a nonprofit in Las Vegas, NV, that facilitates comprehensive reentry and reintegration services to men, women, and young adults exiting various segments of the judicial system. The vision of HOPE for Prisoners is to empower and equip men, women, and young adults to successfully reenter and effectively function in mainstream society. 

HOPE's success is the result of its long-term commitment and relationship with various community partners, including local law enforcement and criminal justice entities. Visit www.hopeforprisoners.org for more information.

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SOURCE HOPE for Prisoners