PRISON FELLOWSHIP: Second Prison Project

For many men and women with criminal convictions, the road to move beyond the past and become contributing members of their communities is filled with hurdles and potholes.  In addition to the stigma associated with having a criminal record, there are numerous legal impediments that prevent these people from obtaining work licenses, voting in elections, or even advancing to job interviews.  

The Albuquerque Business First journal recently asked its readers a probing question—would you hire someone who had just been released from prison?

Responses were predictably varied, with many respondents answering affirmatively.  Those that did say they would hire a former prisoner typically cited the importance of second chances and a need to break the cycle of recidivism.

Statistically speaking, the Central City neighborhood in New Orleans is one of the most crime-plagued communities in the country.  It has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the Crescent City, and is the most incarcerated neighborhood, in the most incarcerated parish, in the most incarcerated state per capita in the nation.  

For men and women who have committed crimes, the biggest challenge often isn’t being incarcerated—it’s dealing with ongoing perceptions that they are, because of their past, forever tagged as “criminal” and subjected to a status that is somewhat less than human.