Ordinary People, Second Chances, and Making a Difference
By Geoffrey Owens
I’ve been a professional actor for almost four decades. Most people know me as the guy who played “Elvin” on The Cosby Show and as the guy who got “job shamed” when he worked at Trader Joe’s.
Soon after that incident, I recorded a video for FAMM about why lawmakers need to visit prisons to see how their decisions affect real people. I felt it was important for lawmakers to realize that when they and the legal system call for mandatory minimum sentences, they destroy whole families by removing a central element of justice and fairness: giving someone a second chance.
A key reason I wanted to make that video was that I was grateful I’d recently been given a second chance myself. The incident at Trader Joe’s created a renewed interest in me as an actor, and because of it I was able to revive my career. It made a significant difference to my self-esteem, as well as my income, to be validated, recognized, and able to take advantage of increased earning opportunities. It didn’t happen because I was more deserving than many other people in a similar position; I was just in the right place at the right time.
But when a person’s life is on the line, or when the well-being of that person’s entire family is at stake, the idea of getting a second chance shouldn’t be a matter of being “in the right place at the right time.” It shouldn’t depend on luck. It should be firmly built into the country’s legal system.
There are thousands of people behind bars who, instead of wasting away in prison under sentences that far exceed their actual or alleged crimes, could be helping their communities as well as their immediate families. These aren’t hardened criminals. They’re people like you and me, but who got the short end of the stick, and were subsequently beaten mercilessly with it.
I’ve learned about people like Lee Horton, sentenced to life in prison, who spent 28 years in jail before being freed. He now does invaluable work strengthening his community. People like Lee are serious about breaking the cycle of violence in Philadelphia and around the country.
There are so many others highlighted by FAMM who got second chances — people like Ernest Boykin, Naomi Blount, Marlon Chamberlain, and Javier Reyes. They are now making positive and crucial differences in society instead of having their lives tragically wasted behind bars. Please read their stories; they will inspire you.
Most people deserve a second chance, as you and I do. They’re not evil beings devoted to crime, chaos, and destruction. They are ordinary people who have changed. And these same ordinary people often do extraordinary things when given the opportunity.
Let’s do all we can to give it to them.
Add your voice in support of second chances today!
Geoffrey Owens is a professional actor and FAMM advocate.
