Getting to yes can be an uphill battle. The labor market isn’t fair, but as Rita shows us, it is still possible to succeed.

In this article, Rita Williams talks about navigating the job market with a criminal record, the ups and downs, and knowing when to lean on your support system.

There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask “What if I fall?”
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?
― Erin Hanson

In September 2024, I began one of the biggest and most challenging obstacles in my life: jumping back into the workforce after a misdemeanor conviction.

With a master’s degree in Criminal Justice, and a solid work history as a public servant, I felt confident.

“I can find a job, no problem,” I thought to myself. But perception is not always reality.

The reality of the situation was that I was walking into one of the worst job markets in recent history. The media has been calling it “The White-Collar Recession,” where individuals with college diplomas are struggling to find work. Fortune reported that one in four U.S. workers who lost their jobs last year were white-collar professionals.

And now, I had to re-enter that market with a freshly minted conviction resulting from a plea bargain.

It no longer mattered that I had a squeaky-clean record or what my circumstances were. I, too, would face pitfalls that I had no idea existed.

Collateral consequences are the additional legal and societal repercussions that go beyond the standard penalties of a criminal conviction, such as incarceration or fines. They can include restrictions on employment, housing, education, and voting rights, among other areas, and can significantly impact an individual’s ability to successfully re-enter society.

The Vera Institute of Justice explains that collateral consequences have a way of keeping people trapped in the system, something that I always knew was in the background, but never thought I would feel the full impact.

Read more about collateral consequences and what Resilience Education is doing with technology to increase employment opportunities for people with records.

With mounds of legal debt on my shoulders, I had to get back to work — and fast. I spent months looking, at first trying the buckshot approach before I became more intentional in my applying.

I was exhausted and unsure of where to turn.

Then, in December 2024, I found light at the end of the tunnel. The LinkedIn algorithm smiled upon me, because while scrolling my feed, I saw a post that mentioned the Resilient Professional Community (RPC) and upcoming mentoring opportunities. I immediately signed up, ready to learn new things and make myself an even stronger candidate. I took advantage of every training, every coffee hour, and made new friends. I gained confidence in myself to apply for jobs, ready to hold my head up high. But even with new skills, a challenge still reared its ugly head.

My biggest test: disparate treatment and unfair hiring practices

In March 2025, after hundreds of applications, far too many interviews, and several false starts, I finally found a job with a small automotive technology company. I performed well at the interview; I was well-versed in the work. I was even told that I became the “benchmark” for all other applicants.

I got the job, and pending a drug test and a background check, I was in.

The background check included a question that read, “Have you ever been convicted of a violent crime?” Responding honestly, I answered “no”. I completed the background check and drug test without fear. Prior to this, I had not been quiet about my background or my restorative justice advocacy; it was all over my resume through my activities, the organizations I volunteered with, and was prominently displayed on my LinkedIn page. I had also chronicled the good, bad, and ugly of my experience on my blog, Clutch Justice.

And yet, a week later, my would-be employer called me and accused me of lying on my background check.

I was deeply confused and offended because I had been honest every step of the way. There was clearly a misunderstanding about my conviction, but she was not interested in hearing it. The more I tried to explain, the more she resisted.

The HR representative said, “It doesn’t matter anyway, because if we knew you had any kind of record, we would not have hired you.”

Honesty apparently didn’t matter

I was also discouraged from disputing the background check because, as she once again reminded me, it would not matter. I know now that this was terrible advice that infringed on my rights.

With no opportunity to explain, I went from being “The Benchmark” to being an outcast, completely unwanted. I had been depending on that job to financially recover from the setbacks thrown at me by the system.

To say I felt gutted would be an understatement. I had worked so hard just to have the rug pulled out from underneath me. Hope is fragile; and it felt like my search for “normal” or even just finding “peace” would never end.

When an employer excludes an entire population, it is considered disparate treatment. By outright excluding all individuals with any kind of criminal justice system involvement, an employer is, statistically speaking, more likely to exclude black and brown folks who are more likely to become entangled with the criminal justice system due to systemic barriers.

I couldn’t do anything about my situation, but as a dear friend explained, I could make things better for the people who would come after me. Like Belen Enriquez, I’m motivated to advocate for people like me.

Despite what the HR representative said, fair employment processes do matter. Having a record does not mean you relinquish your right to stand up for yourself and others.

Our voices matter, and our legal rights should be respected.

Thankfully, between research and the friends I have made along the way, I worked out what to do next; I wrote a professional letter to the Human Resources Department, informing them of the entire pool of talent they were closing the door on. I provided them with information on the Fair Chance Business Education Consortium and Jobs For the Future (JFF) Fair Chance Cohorts. I explained the money they were leaving on the table with Bonding Programs and hiring initiatives.

Then, I calmly gathered the documentation and screenshots and filed a state Civil Rights complaint against the company. It’s been nearly two months, and the clock is ticking down for the company to respond; I don’t expect to hear anything from them, and that’s ok.

Even though one door closed, so many better doors opened for me

As part of the RPC Bookclub, I recently finished Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. In the final chapter, “Learning to Rise,” Brené says, “If we don’t have the skills to get back up, we may risk falling. And if we’re brave enough often enough, we are definitely going to fall.”

I am so glad that I put in the work, read the books, learned the lessons, and risked the “no,” the “fall.”

Because after that one no, I encountered many better and more fulfilling yeses. I was able to find the work that my soul is meant for. I’ve been able to participate in fantastic workshops, create a small consulting business, and take on the broken criminal justice system from multiple angles. I’ve even signed up to become a mentor. And the best part? I don’t have to hide who I am.

And so today, I am proof positive that sometimes nos are necessary. They will lead you to become exactly who you need to be.

Want to learn more about Resilience Education or support our mission? Visit www.resilience-education.org.

You’re transparent about your record during the recruitment process, but you still face rejection. was originally published in Re-entry Review on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’ve all made mistakes at work. Whether it’s missing a deadline, making a bad call, or struggling with a task, I know I’ve had moments where I wished I could rewind and do things differently. But what I’ve learned over time is that mistakes don’t define us – our response to them does.

The way companies handle mistakes says a lot about their culture. Some workplaces embrace learning and growth, while others take a zero-tolerance approach that creates fear and discourages innovation. But this mindset doesn’t just impact employees who make everyday mistakes. It also shapes how organizations view second chance employment and the hiring of individuals who have made mistakes in their past.

How We Handle Mistakes in the Workplace

Studies show that employees who feel safe admitting mistakes, without fear of punishment or immediate termination, are more engaged, innovative, and productive. I’ve seen firsthand that when people are given the space to learn from errors, they come back stronger, more aware, and more accountable.

But what happens when mistakes aren’t forgiven? When people are judged only by their past missteps rather than their potential? That’s where I see a clear connection to second chance employment. Hiring individuals who may have a criminal record or past employment gaps but have worked to turn their lives around.

The Link Between Workplace Mistakes and Second Chance Hiring

We All Make Mistakes – What Matters is Growth

Just like an employee can learn from a workplace error, people with justice system involvement have often undergone personal transformation. If we can recognize that employees deserve chances to improve on the job, why shouldn’t that same mindset apply to hiring?

Resilience Builds Stronger Employees

I’ve noticed that the people who recover from mistakes whether in the workplace or in life tend to be the most dedicated, hardworking, and accountable team members. Many second chance employees have an unmatched drive to succeed and a deep appreciation for the opportunity to contribute.

Trust and Opportunity Lead to Retention

In my experience, organizations that focus on learning over punishment keep employees longer. The same applies to second chance hiring. Data shows that returning citizens and those given a second chance are more likely to stay with employers who invest in them.

Limiting Second Chances Limits Talent

If companies refuse to hire people based on past mistakes, they are shrinking their own talent pool. Just like rigid workplaces that punish mistakes lose good employees, hiring practices that exclude second chance candidates miss out on some of the most driven and capable workers out there.

Shifting Our Mindset on Mistakes and Opportunity

If we truly believe that mistakes are part of learning and growth, then we need to extend that belief beyond the employees already on payroll. We need to apply that same thinking to hiring practices and recognize that past mistakes don’t erase future potential.

I’ve learned that when we give people the opportunity to learn, rebuild, and contribute, we don’t just help individuals we strengthen our teams, our organizations, and our communities.

So, I challenge us all to ask:

• Do we treat mistakes as a reason to exclude or an opportunity to grow?

• Are we creating workplaces where learning is encouraged, or where fear of failure holds people back?

• Are we willing to apply the same grace we give employees in their day-to-day mistakes to individuals seeking employment after past missteps?

I believe in second chances; on the job, in hiring, and in life. Let’s create workplaces that reflect that belief and open doors for people who are ready to contribute.

What Workplace Mistakes Teach Us About Second Chances was originally published in Re-entry Review on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

There’s a growing alarm in education and workforce development circles: outdated technology in prisons is shutting people out of the future. The issue isn’t simply technical — it’s moral, economic, and urgent. In 2025, success depends on understanding and using artificial intelligence. Yet, we’re asking returning citizens to compete in a world shaped by tools they have never seen.

This exclusion is not accidental — it’s systemic.

More than 95% of incarcerated individuals will eventually return home, yet most remain cut off from the digital tools that are essential to navigating today’s economy and workforce. According to a 2023 Ithaka S+R survey, nearly a quarter of prison education programs report that students have no access to technological devices at all, and even when devices are available, they are typically disconnected from the internet or limited to heavily restricted systems.

A 2025 policy brief from the University of Michigan’s Ford School further highlights that the technology available in many correctional facilities is often outdated and overpriced. Closed-loop email systems and basic educational platforms don’t prepare people for a world run by machine learning, automation, and algorithmic decision-making.

And yet, incarcerated individuals are paying attention. On a recent visit inside, I spoke with students who were deeply curious and acutely aware of how AI is reshaping the world. They had read the headlines, followed tech trends in the news, and noticed the tools being used by correctional staff. One told me, “Last time I used Gmail, it was just one button.”

They had observed a staff member using new auto-scheduling features. They knew that AI-driven resume screeners would impact their access to jobs, but they didn’t know how or why. They weren’t unaware. They were watching the future unfold just beyond reach — and being deliberately kept at a distance.

They’re learning about this technology — but can’t use it. And without the ability to experience and experiment with AI, they can’t build the knowledge or agency to take control of their futures.

That’s why AI and business courses—ones that are designed with incarcerated people in mind—will be a significant milestone. We need to move beyond conceptual programs; students must be allowed to demo and engage with AI tools. This would be a bold and necessary step forward in Higher Education in Prison (HEP). We would not educate free world students without understanding AI and its possibilities because we know it would set them up to fail. The same should be true for incarcerated students.

At Resilience Education, we’re contributing to this shift by developing a new AI Ethics and Workforce Futures module. The course will help incarcerated learners understand not only what AI is, but how it’s transforming work, finance, and access to opportunity. It’s not about learning to code — it’s about gaining the digital fluency to navigate, question, and influence the systems shaping their lives.

Because here’s the truth: if the only jobs society expects you to do are the ones most likely to be automated, your chances of achieving economic stability are slim, let alone economic mobility. If you’re excluded from understanding how algorithmic systems work, you’re left vulnerable to their decisions, without any agency to fight back.

AI isn’t just a technical leap; it’s a mirror. And right now, it’s reflecting the same systemic biases embedded in our society.

Inclusion isn’t a choice or a nice-to-have. It’s imperative.

If we continue to exclude justice-impacted individuals from the AI revolution, we risk encoding that exclusion permanently into our technologies. AI models learn from data generated by people who already have access — those who are privileged, connected, and resourced. If we don’t widen the circle of who gets to contribute, we will build machines of bias that reinforce inequity at scale. And once that bias is built into the system, it becomes self-sustaining.

We’re already seeing it. Resume screening tools silently reject applications. Financial algorithms flag people as “risky” based on incomplete or biased data. These decisions are invisible and unaccountable — and justice-impacted individuals are among those most affected.

That’s why this matters. These are kitchen-table questions:

• Will an algorithm block my job application before a person sees it?
• Will AI tools keep me from getting a loan?
• Can I earn enough to support my family in a workforce reshaped by automation?

We’re also launching 33Percent, an initiative to change who gets to shape these answers. With 33Percent, we’re not just applying AI to existing problems — we’re engaging justice-impacted individuals as designers of new solutions. One tool helps people navigate the complex legal restrictions — known as collateral consequences — that limit job access after incarceration. But this is just the beginning.

Because when we invite diverse voices into the design of our tools, we don’t dilute innovation — we improve it. A more inclusive AI future is also a more ethical, resilient, and intelligent one. By ensuring that justice-impacted individuals are part of the conversation, we create systems that serve everyone — not just the few.

Let’s not build a future that replicates the worst of our past. Let’s build one that reflects the full humanity of those who will inherit it.

Locked out of the future: what incarcerated learners taught me about AI, access, and agency was originally published in Re-entry Review on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Belen Enriquez fought for women’s rights and successfully secured early release for two women, all from inside the prison library walls. Since then, she has become an Office Director, Paralegal, and Prison Consultant. Belen’s story is a powerful reminder that we can all do something to bring about change.

In this article, Belen Enriquez shares her experiences with the criminal justice system, her journey in legal advocacy, and her reflections for Women’s History Month.

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day urges us to accelerate action — moving beyond talk to tangible change. Incarcerated women remain overlooked in gender equity discussions, trapped in a system that punishes rather than rehabilitates.

My advocacy is personal. My lived experience, resilience, and belief in meaningful chances drive me to fight for those left behind.

I work tirelessly and enthusiastically to ensure justice-impacted women gain dignity, support, and opportunities. This is more than advocacy — it’s about rewriting narratives, breaking cycles, and driving real change.

Developing a passion for law and finding refuge in the library

Growing up in Ecuador, I spent summers in my father’s law office, listening to the stories of the people he defended. One of my earliest memories of prison was visiting one with him and my brother to see a client convicted of drug trafficking. I didn’t fully understand it then, but that visit stuck with me. I always imagined becoming a lawyer one day, but life had other plans. An unexpected arrest turned my world upside down, and instead of learning the law in a classroom, I had to navigate it from the inside — fighting not for clients but for myself.

Prison was a setback, but it also ignited my advocacy. The law library became my refuge, and a typewriter, my tool for change. Initially focused on my case, I soon realized I was surrounded by women whose stories reflected deep injustices — immigrants, mothers, and survivors of trauma, all trapped in a system that had failed them long before incarceration.

It broke my heart to see women in the visiting room, their children clinging to them, confused and tearful, not understanding why they couldn’t stay.

The sadness in their eyes was unbearable as they tried to be strong while saying goodbye, knowing they wouldn’t tuck them in at night or be there for their milestones. Holidays were the hardest — so many of them sat by the window, staring out as if they could will themselves home to be with their families.

I refused to accept their suffering as inevitable. Determined to help, I spent countless hours researching legal avenues for early release. Those late nights and relentless efforts paid off — two women transitioned to the free world because of my work. More than anything, their release proved the power of knowledge and using my voice to fight for those sometimes forgotten by the system and society.

Advocating for incarcerated women: from the typewriter to courtroom support

The realization that I could make a difference lit a fire in me. The injustices I saw weren’t rare — they were routine in a system built to punish the most vulnerable. Walking out of prison didn’t mean the fight was over; it meant finding a new way to keep going. I couldn’t forget the women I left behind or the countless others still trapped in a system designed to break them. I had to do something. Advocacy wasn’t just a path forward — it was my responsibility.

After my release in 2020, I turned my experience into advocacy, joining the Law Offices of Paul Petruzzi as Office Director, Paralegal, and Prison Consultant. I work on complex legal cases — international narcotics, extraditions, and white-collar crime — while helping incarcerated individuals seek clemency and sentence reductions.

Unlike most prison consultants, I’ve lived through the federal system firsthand.

This allows me to guide clients through its physical realities and legal obstacles while offering hope for meaningful reentry opportunities.

Why I focus on women’s legal matters and the importance of reentry

Women in prison face overwhelming challenges that go far beyond their sentences. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, nearly 80% of incarcerated women in the United States are mothers, many are survivors of domestic violence or trafficking, and the vast majority are incarcerated for non-violent offenses. Despite these realities, they often receive harsher punishments and fewer rehabilitation opportunities than their male counterparts.

The justice system routinely fails to consider the trauma and systemic barriers that contribute to women’s incarceration in the first place.

The challenges don’t end at release. Formerly incarcerated women face an uphill battle, with unemployment rates five times higher than the national average and nearly 50% experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity upon reentry. This was the case for Muriel Dawkins, someone who experienced homelessness and struggled to find meaningful employment post-incarceration. After several years, Muriel was offered help and has since become a leader in her community. Without strong support systems and resources, the cycle of incarceration, poverty, and instability continues for many others.

I advocate for policies and programs that recognize these struggles and invest in real solutions — safe housing, job training, education, and trauma-informed care. Every woman deserves the opportunity to heal, rebuild, and reclaim her future. Justice isn’t just about accountability — it’s about transformation. This is how we accelerate action.

How can we accelerate action for justice-impacted women?

There is an urgent need for gender equity in the justice system, including adequate re-entry services. Women should not face harsher punishment because of their gender, nor should their trauma be ignored.

I stand alongside remarkable women who have rebuilt their lives and now open doors for others. Alice Marie Johnson, also formerly incarcerated, now serves as the Pardon Czar in the current administration—an incredible testament to the change we can create. Across the country, justice-impacted women are becoming lawyers, writers, entrepreneurs, and advocates, lifting as they rise. When women support one another, we accelerate action.

A call to action for those who want to make an impact

To Accelerate Action, we must:

• Push for sentencing reforms that acknowledge the unique challenges of incarcerated women.
• Expand clemency and early release options and programs that prioritize rehabilitation.
• Develop gender-specific reentry programs that address the distinct needs of women, including trauma-informed care, family reunification, and economic empowerment.
• Ensure corrections policies are responsive to the realities women face, fostering environments that support rehabilitation rather than perpetuate harm.
• Challenge stigma and demonstrate that a person’s past does not define their future.

I stand with every woman who has defied the odds, rebuilt her life, and continues to break barriers. Maya Angelou once said, “I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.” These words resonated with me during my time in prison and fuel my advocacy today. My journey — from incarceration to legal advocacy — proves that resilience and action create change. Together, we can build a world that values and uplifts all women.

Let’s not just imagine change — let’s be the ones who make it happen. Let’s Accelerate Action.

We can’t afford to leave incarcerated women out when we advocate for gender equality. Here’s why. was originally published in Re-entry Review on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As established in our first article for the Re-entry Review, reintegrating back into society post-incarceration — especially one that has changed so much in your absence — isn’t easy.

The Prison Policy Initiative is a non-profit that advocates for a more just society by exposing the harm caused by mass criminalization with statistics and data analysis. In 2018, they reported the first estimate of homelessness among the 5 million formerly incarcerated people living in the United States. They found that formerly incarcerated people are almost 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public.

When you don’t have a place to live, how do you rebuild?

In this story, we interview Muriel Dawkins, one of our mentorship program participants who recently joined Resilience Education’s Community Advisory Board. Muriel speaks about the challenges of finding stability post-incarceration, her healing journey and plans to start a non-profit to give back to the community.

Muriel is originally from Gainesville, Florida. “After I got locked up, my life literally hit rock bottom,” she said. Following release, Muriel couldn’t find the support she needed to gain stability. “Six years of just bouncing around and being homeless, not going to school, not working… I became very depressed,” she explained.

A study on housing insecurity in California reported that 45% of adults with unstable housing experienced moderate to serious psychological distress compared with 25% of adults with stable housing.

Housing services are vital for people to get back on their feet, especially for those with mental health disorders like depression. When Muriel moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia in 2019, she lacked housing security. The bureaucracy that too often comes with transitional housing can make it difficult for people to move forward. For instance, requiring proof of homelessness to access support services is counterintuitive — such proof is highly unlikely to exist on paper.

Some non-profit organizations like A New Way of Life Reentry Project (ANWOL) factor the complexity of housing insecurity for justice-impacted people into their services. ANWOL’s multifaceted approach aims to mitigate the effects of — and ultimately eliminate — mass incarceration. By providing safe housing for formerly incarcerated women and helping parents reunite with their children, this non-profit offers a unique opportunity to heal during the reentry process.

Although homelessness kept Muriel in a vulnerable position, she found the strength to persevere. In 2021, she started to receive counseling at View Point Health, a community behavioral and mental health services provider in Georgia. Once connected with her caseworker, Muriel was able to get her own place for the first time in years. With this new home, she could plant her roots and start anew.

Permanent housing helps alleviate stress and often marks the beginning of a person’s recovery process. Muriel recalls the move like it was yesterday.

“It was August 6, 2021. I’ll never forget that day. When I moved into my apartment — that’s when I slowly started picking the pieces up and getting my life back together,” said Muriel.

Stable housing can significantly improve emotional, psychological, and social well-being; it offers a solid foundation for growth. “I felt like the burden was lifted off of me,” said Muriel. Having her own space gave her independence and a newfound sense of hope for the future.

From earning money and recovering to finding purpose

Muriel started working for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) as a parking lot cashier, but she was still “very depressed”. Muriel was unhappy with her job because she wasn’t earning enough to get by and didn’t find the work fulfilling. “I know that I made mistakes in life, but I also knew I wanted a better life. I just didn’t want to settle for anything,” she said.

Obtaining employment is an important part of a person’s reentry journey. As the US Chamber of Commerce reports, people who are unable to maintain employment experience a recidivism rate of 52% over three years, whereas their peers who maintain employment for one year post-release experience a recidivism rate of just 16%. However, job satisfaction is crucial to a stable reentry journey. Without a sense of purpose, showing up every day starts to become a challenge; and once the present becomes monotonous, the future becomes more and more bleak.

At Resilience Education, we equip our participants with the knowledge and networks to pursue meaningful careers. When you’re using your skills, aspiration follows — and it usually lasts long term. Muriel considered going to school to secure a job in the healthcare field, but deep down she knew it wasn’t for her, so she withdrew from school and quit her job: “I needed to figure out what I wanted to do next.” After years of living in the streets and operating in survival mode, Muriel needed to recover.

Following the teachings of her faith, Muriel turned her attention to healing and learning. “I heard about the nonprofit University for Parents. I thought I wasn’t able to do it because I don’t have kids, but that didn’t matter,” she said. Enrolling in anger management classes and various other personal development courses helped Muriel to better manage her emotions and acquire the new skills that would make her an asset to her employer and a leader among her peers.

Muriel spoke glowingly about the tutors, including Dr. Fiyah Oates who taught invaluable lessons about self-awareness, resilience, and the power of positive thinking. Forming those genuine bonds with her course leaders encouraged her to discover her own passions for coaching and community outreach.

In August 2023, Muriel started an apprenticeship as an employment specialist with Randstad, the world’s largest talent company. This program allowed her to explore different areas of recruitment, including everything from sourcing to auditing data. Most importantly, she discovered her purpose. “I love helping people and helping them see that they have true potential,” she said, reflecting on her experience.

Following a calling to give back to the community

Earlier this year, Muriel completed our mentorship program. She has since become one of the most active members of our community. From our monthly meet ups to personal finance workshops and career development programs, Muriel tells us access to networks like the Resilient Professional Community is important for formerly incarcerated people. There’s something powerful about coming together with people who get it.

“I was locked up as well, so hearing other people’s stories — how they’ve graduated, gained bachelor’s degrees and things like that — is really positive. The community helps me stay motivated,” said Muriel.

This process goes two ways. Muriel is willing to be vulnerable too. “I want to share my testimony with others and let others know that whatever they are dealing with, whatever challenges they’re facing, they are not alone. I’m like, ‘Here’s my story. This is stuff that I’ve been through, so you can come to me with no judgment. I’m spilling all my tea so you don’t have to feel alone’,” she said. Muriel has been refining her writing skills with her blog. She also regularly shares her poetry and reflections to motivate her readers with the ultimate goal of penning a memoir.

Giving back is at the core of everything Muriel does. While completing her apprenticeship, she also started the Social Services Assistant program through Kennesaw State University to learn about social work. “Staying with people in and out, and then living on the street, things like that really motivate me to give back,” she said.

Driven by personal experiences of hardship, Muriel is also working towards her dream of creating a nonprofit to help people in need with resources, specializing in housing, transportation and food. As part of the mentorship program, we paired Muriel with Megan, who helped her discuss plans for her non-profit and update the user-journey for the website.

“This is the second cohort that I’m doing with the mentorship program. I make sure that I attend every meeting that we have. The first one helped me with my nonprofit website — I really enjoy it,” said Muriel, who continues to work on the ideas for her book.

Muriel always finds a way to pour light into the spaces she enters. She’s constantly inspiring the people and championing the work of her peers. This paired with her ambition and candor led to her being invited to join Resilience Education’s Community Advisory Board with a unanimous vote.

Resilience’s mission has been focused on breaking cycles of incarceration for more than a decade. We tackle this with business and financial education, digital tools like the Collateral Consequences Navigator, and the Consortium, but we also recognize the barrier that homelessness poses to reentry. As the Prison Policy Initiative’s report stresses, a devastating side effect of unsafe and unstable housing is that it can prevent formerly incarcerated people from accessing educational programs.

The idea for the Resilient Professional Community (RPC) emerged from discussions among the formerly incarcerated people in our team and network. We built our platform to widen access to business education, pool knowledge, and provide resources for justice-impacted people at all stages of the reentry journey. The RPC taps into local networks that are crucial early on; so while our team may not be able to help with housing directly, someone within our wider network might — it’s a matter of creating a connection.

As we move forward and develop our programming, we deeply value the lived experience and expertise of people like Muriel in our organization. The crucial insights from the Community Advisory Board and Resilient Professional Community inform our work and hold us accountable to our goal of creating accessible programs that reach justice-impacted people regardless of circumstance.

Want to learn more about Resilience Education or support our mission? Visit www.resilience-education.org.

Regaining stability post-incarceration and becoming a community leader was originally published in Re-entry Review on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Silicon Valley’s lack of diversity isn’t just a cultural challenge — it’s a blind spot that affects both innovation and market opportunity. At major tech companies, engineering teams remain predominantly homogeneous: white employees make up 50–60% of the workforce in technical roles, while Black and Hispanic employees represent just 3–5% and 6–8% respectively (Apple and Google data). Women hold only 24% of engineering positions, and 5–8% of tech employees identify as LGBTQ+. These numbers drop even further in leadership roles.

When engineering teams lack diversity, they build solutions for a narrow slice of human experience. Critical problems go unsolved, creating two significant gaps: massive missed market opportunities in underserved communities and technological innovations that fail to reach those who need them most.

One-third of Americans have a criminal record — over 100 million people. Yet much of the existing technology and funding directed toward this population has been focused on corrections and monitoring, not solving the problems individuals face in reentry. There is a hidden market here where a community’s employment and economic challenges could be transformed through thoughtful technological solutions.

Resilience Education is tackling this hidden market by leveraging exceptional formerly incarcerated engineering talent to create technology that transforms employment and economic opportunities.

Engineering excellence through lived experience: the Collateral Consequences Navigator

The Collateral Consequences Navigator is a new AI application primarily built by formerly incarcerated engineers and product managers. While many tech products for marginalized communities come from well-meaning outsiders, the Navigator emerges from a team that uniquely combines direct experience with technical expertise. This fusion produces a product that not only solves real user needs but does so with exceptional precision and care.

The power of engineer-experience alignment

Having formerly incarcerated engineers at the helm transforms the development process in three critical ways.

Deep problem understanding

Job-seeking during reentry is not merely a user interface challenge or even a single experience — it’s a complex journey fraught with systemic barriers and intense personal pressure. Imagine trying to navigate online job boards after 15 years without internet access, or crafting a resume on a mobile phone while racing against a 30-day deadline to secure employment. Consider the emotional toll of repeatedly facing rejection despite your genuine desire to contribute to society.

Our engineers don’t need user research to understand these challenges — they’ve lived them. They know firsthand the intricate dance of navigating complex regulations while managing financial instability, housing uncertainty, and technological barriers. This lived experience informs every aspect of our solution, going beyond surface-level features to address the deep emotional and practical needs of people fighting to rebuild their lives.

Their personal journey through reentry means they’re not just solving a technical problem, they’re creating the tool they wish they’d had during their own path to stability and success.

Empathetic Technological Vision

Understanding the problem deeply isn’t enough — transformative solutions emerge when empathy drives technological innovation. Our team knows this community deserves cutting-edge technology because they are this community. This unique perspective enables them to envision how advanced technology can solve the challenges they’ve navigated.

This combination of lived experience and technical expertise has driven several breakthrough innovations. They recognized that large language models could provide dynamic, contextual guidance where static databases and legal directories had failed. They understood that real-time data processing wasn’t optional — outdated legal information could actively harm users making critical life decisions.

Most crucially, their system prompts are engineered with both technical sophistication and deep emotional intelligence. Every interaction is designed by asking, “What would have truly helped me during my own reentry?” This vision — where empathy guides technological choices — creates solutions that are both technically advanced and profoundly human.

Informed excellence in the details

Building transformative products requires thousands of micro-decisions that can’t be captured in specifications. When engineers deeply understand their users, they naturally avoid critical oversights. Consider Google Maps’ misinterpretation of “Malcolm X Boulevard” as “Malcolm Ten Boulevard” — a technical oversight that reflects a gap between engineers and community understanding.

Our engineers’ lived experience has shaped crucial product decisions:

• Information Architecture: While LLMs tend toward verbosity, our team knew that overwhelming amounts of content could paralyze users already processing complex life changes. They engineered precise, focused responses that support without overwhelming.
• Visual Design: The team’s personal experience informed our intentionally calm interface. They understood that after incarceration, especially long-term, overly stimulating designs with bright colors and animations can create cognitive overload.
• Tone and Messaging: Having navigated reentry themselves, our engineers struck a delicate balance between hope and realism. The system provides clear, honest information about restrictions while maintaining supportive guidance toward viable opportunities.

These nuanced decisions, impossible to capture in traditional user research, emerge naturally from a team that has lived the journey they’re designing for.

Technical innovation meets lived experience

The Navigator’s real-time legislative data processing moves beyond the National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction (NICCC) database. While the NICCC serves as an excellent research tool, its outdated information can’t serve job seekers making decisions today. The team understood that outdated legal information isn’t just useless — it’s potentially harmful if trusted.

The system’s AI training reflects this commitment to excellence. The custom prompt engineering, developed by formerly incarcerated engineers, captures nuances that outside developers would likely miss:

• Contextual understanding of state-specific regulations
• Recognition of informal barriers beyond legal restrictions
• Awareness of industry-specific challenges and opportunities
• Strategic approaches to skill translation and career pivots

What’s next?

Through our beta testing with individuals navigating post-conviction employment, we’ve gained invaluable insights that are driving our next phase of development. Our users have helped us identify crucial capabilities that our engineering team is uniquely positioned to build:

• Smart job matching: Users told us they spend hours filtering through jobs they’re barred from. We’re building intelligent job scraping that automatically matches opportunities to individual circumstances and skills.
• Labor market integration: When users need to switch careers due to regulations, they want to know where to pivot. We’re integrating real-time labor market data to highlight growing industries and roles where their skills transfer.
• Education pathway planning: Beta users frequently ask about upskilling. We’re mapping out education and certification pathways that align with their career goals and regulatory constraints.
• Expungement opportunities: Many users don’t realize they’re eligible for record clearing. We’re adding an expungement screening tool that identifies opportunities across jurisdictions.
• Local resource connection: Users need more than just job leads — they need comprehensive support. We’re building a directory of local services, from transportation assistance to workplace attire.

We’re currently partnering with state workforce agencies and reentry organizations to expand our beta testing (email sophia@resilience-education.org if you’re interested). With our team’s combination of lived experience and technical expertise, we’re uniquely positioned to build these features with the nuance and excellence our community deserves.

We’re excited to continue to push this product forward and find new product opportunities for tech to make a meaningful impact on the lives of formerly incarcerated individuals.

Unlocking markets: how centering formerly incarcerated voices drives product innovation was originally published in Re-entry Review on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

There are more than 1.9 million people held within various criminal legal systems, including thousands of federal, state, local, and tribal systems. While most people are aware of mass incarceration and its negative impact on society, very few ask questions about what comes next.

What does re-entry look like for formerly incarcerated individuals?

Re-entry is by no means easy. It’s a process that requires unwavering perseverance and affects a large portion of the U.S. population. 1 in every 3 adults (approximately 77 million Americans) have a criminal record, including arrest records, criminal charges or convictions. Every year, more than 600,000 people are released from correctional facilities; the overwhelming majority face barriers to employment, housing, and higher education.

Resilience Education is a nonprofit organization driven by its mission to stop cycles of incarceration by improving economic mobility for formerly incarcerated people.

In this story, we interview Kristofer Hickson, a Darden PREP graduate from the class of 2017. Kristofer speaks about preparing for life after incarceration, visiting the renowned business school and making new connections.

Studying business behind bars and taking steps towards economic mobility

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business has partnered with Resilience for more than a decade, offering business courses for incarcerated learners. In 2024, 45 MBA students taught Darden PREP (Prison Reentry Education Program) at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, Buckingham Correctional Center, and Dillwyn Correctional Center.

Located at Dillwyn in Virginia — approximately an hour’s drive from the business school, Kristofer discovered Resilience Education by chance. “While I was incarcerated I was fortunate enough to have a pretty high-level job and had access all over the compound. I was in the education department a lot and one day, I ended up talking to some guys who were in the program,” he explained.

This inquisitive learner’s decision to study thrust him into a new, engaging environment. “I’ve always had my heart set on starting a nonprofit, but I needed to learn a little bit about business. The Darden program was the groundwork; it gave me the tools that I needed to start forming my idea,” he said.

Kristofer developed a business plan for a restaurant and improved its viability, following feedback from his peers and instructors. “My initial idea was a little far reaching, it wasn’t self-sustaining and needed a lot of help. I later developed a much more sustainable plan — I still have it,” said Kristofer, who is pursuing higher education to build on his foundational knowledge from Darden PREP.

A study co-authored by professors Damon J. Phillips and Kylie Jiwon Hwang found that formerly incarcerated people are 5% more likely to start their own business in comparison to the general public. This is often due to discrimination in the labor market, but it can also be about giving back to the community:

“I want to put myself in a position where I see my vision go forward, surround myself with the right people and gain the knowledge to make sure my business functions correctly. I am doing it for myself, but the purpose isn’t to make money, it’s to help others,” said Kristofer.

So far, more than 160 people have graduated from Darden PREP in addition to hundreds of others across Resilience’s programs in Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania. Many have since been released and taken steps towards economic mobility. Part of Kristofer’s re-entry journey involved exploring the UVA Darden campus where his former instructors attended their classes.

It’s one thing to visit a prestigious business school, it’s another to be welcomed as a student for the day

From the sand-struck Virginia brick buildings to the Elizabeth and Gary T. Jones fountain, the UVA Darden School of Business is striking, especially when you walk along its historic corridors for the first time. “I used to live in the Charlottesville area, so I’ve driven by the campus many times. I was thrilled to go there,” said Kristofer.

Annah Nieman, Darden PREP Program Manager, inducted Kristofer into life at business school as one might expect — a cup of coffee in the front foyer accompanied by a full campus tour. When Annah asked Kristofer if he wanted to sit in for the whole class, he replied, “Of course I do.”

Sitting in a lecture theater among MBA students — beside those studying hard to join Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, American Express, and Goldman Sachs — could have been intimidating. But it wasn’t Kristofer’s first time rubbing shoulders with Darden’s future business leaders. “It felt like I was back doing the class at Dillwyn,” he said, candidly.

Kristofer introduced himself, sharing his journey and connection to Darden, his fellow classmates for the day applauded — “that felt great,” he said. After the General Managers Taking Action class, the usual post-class chatter ensued; Kristofer and the MBA students exchanged plans for the future.

The power of combining Socratic method with the case method for incarcerated learners and MBA students

Pioneered in ancient Greece, the Socratic method is a style of teaching that involves a shared dialogue between teacher and student. The case method — popular in business and law schools — uses studies of businesses (or people) to convey essential concepts and evaluate key decisions.

In the in-prison program, MBA instructors engage in back-and-forth dialogue with incarcerated learners, following a case study. With the focus on evaluating the trade offs, this approach encourages a change in mindset — learners step out of their comfort zone. 77% of Resilience’s incarcerated students said that completing the program increased their confidence in voicing an opinion.

For Kristofer, the class was thought-provoking: “I wanted to raise my hand a couple times and didn’t,” he said. “I had some little ideas that were floating through my mind. Some students had the same thoughts — that made me feel good,” he added. Yet, it was the “striking similarity” between the teaching styles he experienced at the correctional facility and the classroom at Darden that surprised Kristofer the most:

“If any Resilience students have any doubt whatsoever, the program is being taught in an identical manner; there is no delineation whatsoever — that was impressive…It’s probably why we learned so much.”

The in-prison program has benefits for each of its participants. As Resilience Education Co-founder and Executive Director Dr Tierney Fairchild said in Wharton Magazine (Teaching Finance, Transforming Lives), “The learning is a two-way street…The incarcerated learners learn from the MBA students, and the MBAs learn from them, too.” By participating in the program, MBA students learn firsthand why fair chance hiring is essential and how they can open doors for those on re-entry journeys.

Re-entry is not a sprint, it’s a marathon

The process of re-entry differs for each formerly incarcerated person. Everybody has their own unique set of responsibilities and will confront different challenges. In 2017, Second Chance Month was founded by Prison Fellowship to raise awareness, break down barriers, and unlock opportunities for the 1 in 3 individuals with a criminal record. There has been a lot of work done by various organizations to make re-entry an easier process, such as the Anti Recidivism Coalition, Bard Prison Initiative and Hudson Link to name a few.

However, obtaining employment and pursuing higher education remains a tough feat. Despite a rise in educational demands from U.S. employers, the Prison Policy Initiative estimates that less than 5 percent of formerly incarcerated people ever graduate from college. This puts into perspective why stories like that of Benard McKinley — who received a college degree while incarcerated and has been accepted into Northwestern Law School at 39 years old — stand out.

Building on the credits he earned from completing the in-prison program, Kristofer is studying towards an associate’s degree — a double major in business and marketing, while balancing his job as a kitchen utility worker at a boarding school.

“I’m set to graduate in spring, but I have the potential to graduate in the winter if I push hard enough. The conversion of my Darden PREP course into business management credits gave me additional transfer laps. That’s what actually opened the door and made it possible… Then I’ll transfer to the University of Lynchburg. I’m going for my bachelor’s degree in business and once I get that, I’ll move forward with my nonprofit,” he said.

While at Dillwyn, Kristofer developed the idea for a restaurant business that gives back. “All the proceeds go to support charities. When you check out on the POS system, you select the charity you want the proceeds of your meal to go to,” he explained with excitement. “People go out all the time, so you’d be supporting a charity while you eat,” he added. To make this nonprofit a reality, there are a number of factors for Kristofer to consider:

“I love the Lynchburg area, and Charlottesville is very strong in supporting philanthropic endeavors, but the costs are also high. I’ll have to decide whether or not I want to start up there. That’s the big debate,” he explained.

Meaningful opportunities like this campus visit widen the realm of possibilities for those re-entering society. It’s important for formerly incarcerated people to envision themselves in these spaces, especially institutions where they can continue learning how to navigate life’s challenges and advocate for themselves in our changing world.

Want to learn more about Resilience Education or support our mission? Visit www.resilience-education.org.

What happens when we hold the doors to higher education open for formerly incarcerated people? was originally published in Re-entry Review on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.