Safety in Second Chances: New Storytelling Program Highlights Those “Free to Succeed”
By Kevin Ring
“If it bleeds, it leads.” That truism about our media’s coverage of criminal justice seems truer than ever. Every day, it seems, we see a new story about someone who got out of prison and screwed up. Left unsaid is that for everyone who fails, there are thousands who are succeeding. We never hear about them.
That changes today. FAMM is launching a new storytelling initiative to showcase the success stories of people released early from prison. Each person’s story will highlight their life since incarceration — the way they have been Free to Succeed.
The people we are highlighting this month and in the months ahead are not unicorns. They are not anomalies. They represent the vast majority of people who learn from their mistakes and find a better path. These are people who were granted second chances, whether through reform, compassionate release, clemency, or a second look law, and they are now helping their families, their communities, and society.
Their lives are perfect examples of why second chances should be part of criminal justice. Every single person in Free to Succeed is proving wrong the headlines that say criminal justice reform makes our country less safe. The opposite is true: Forcing these people to serve their extreme sentences would have been a waste of resources, resources that could have been used on programs and personnel that could make our communities safer.
The program launches with four stories this month, and will feature at least two every month after. A unique component of these stories will be the inclusion of an audio story so that listeners can hear directly from the person featured. There will also be a special “Heart to Heart: Free to Succeed” edition broadcast across FAMM’s social media platforms on Sept. 12, in which listeners can interact directly with the month’s featured subjects.
September’s Free to Succeed stories are:
- Stephanie Nodd, who’s reconnected with her grown children and works using the skills she obtained while incarcerated (release date: Sept. 1);
- Ernest Boykin, a graduate of the Georgetown University Pivot Program, which aims to provide formerly incarcerated individuals leadership and professional development opportunities (Sept. 6);
- John Gargano, general manager of Tom Colicchio’s Craft and Vallata restaurants in New York City (Sept. 12); and
- Mandy Martinson, who earned back her dental hygienist’s license and is practicing again (Sept. 19).
You can find these and future stories on FAMM’s social media channels or at www.famm.org/stories. Please share them far and wide to help counteract the sensational — and rare — negative stories that get far too much attention.
We hope they renew your faith in the power of second chances — and persuade you that we need to create opportunities for more people to earn them.
Kevin Ring is FAMM’s President.
