Voices of Release: “Turning This Ship Around”
By Ann Espuelas
At FAMM, we believe in second chances — and it’s always exciting to see returning citizens make the absolute most of theirs. Here are some stories from people who have hit the ground running post-release.
Ernest Boykin was 41, not halfway through a 15-year sentence, and COVID had been hitting prisons hard for months. He had underlying medical conditions that put him at high risk if he contracted the disease, and on lockdown, conditions inside deteriorated by the day. On July 17, 2020, a judge granted him compassionate release. Immediately, he was selected for the Georgetown Pivot Program, a rigorous business and entrepreneurship program created specifically for formerly incarcerated individuals. Currently, Ernest is an Associate at LINK Strategic Partners, a social impact Marketing and PR firm. He is also the first chairman of Opportunity Youth United’s Reentry Action Committee, a national action group, and a community leader with Opportunity Youth United.
After Gerald Tarboro was sentenced to 15 years on drug charges, he says, “I realized that it was about time I started turning this ship around and making my life right.” He threw himself in work as a head tutor and became a respected mentor to other young men. After his release in March 2019, four years early thanks to the First Step Act, he got a good job as a welder. He’s thrown himself into advocacy, and is considering pursuing a graduate degree in Public Policy. Three weeks ago he married the love of his life. “My life now is a miracle because I got a second chance,” Tarboro says. “I’m never going to forget about all the people I left behind, and I’ll keep fighting for reform of prison policies and laws so that the system is better.”
In 2016, Jordan Jucutan was sentenced to 28 months in prison for wire fraud and identity theft. At sentencing, the prosecutor told the court that Jordan “…is a good person, who made a bad mistake … I don’t think he is an individual that needs to be rehabilitated.” Because Jordan suffers from underlying medical conditions that make him especially vulnerable to COVID, he applied and was granted compassionate release during the pandemic. Now, life is chaotic but joyful for Jordan, his wife Danica, and their four kids — all under the age of 12. The family is rebuilding, staying healthy, and deeply grateful for Jordan’s second chance. He landed a job at Target shortly after his release, and is a positive influence in his family and community.
Malissa Miles in now on home confinement under the CARES Act. “I’m doing everything that I’m supposed to be doing,” she says. “I have been employed full time since June 2020. I work second shift, and for this entire school year I have home schooled my granddaughters, because one of them has special needs and their mother works first shift. We have rebuilt our bond and a routine in their daily lives. I have worked extremely hard to reestablish my credit and I have purchased a vehicle. I am a nonviolent, first time offender.”
Ernest, Gerald, Jordan, and Malissa are making the most of their second chances. Help FAMM make it so more people can get a second chance at life.
Ann Espuelas is FAMM’s Director of Family Outreach and Storytelling.
