Will Soper was first arrested at the age of eleven, defending himself against the man who was his stepfather. This was not the first time Will had been sexually abused, but it was the first time he fought back and sadly his mother took his stepfather’s side. Despite the toxicity of the family, he was never given any mental health or other counseling and was continually sent back to his mother and stepfather when the foster care system failed him. Will’s abusive upbringing led to a justice involved life, culminating in the sexual assault of a person he knew. Now at 42, Will is finally out of prison and free of parole, but his time served and a personal apology to his victim cannot wipe away his sexual assault charge from his record. In Will’s own words, ‘…all I want to do is just work, even if it means washing dishes, I don’t care…. I can’t go back to jail; I’d rather hold court in the street…’.

Amanda Hall had it all. A flourishing restaurant career as a Regional Training Manager and even her own home. But for Amanda all of that was a facade. Inside she says, ‘I was a mess’. The wrong choice in men, and late nights with friends at the restaurants she trained at, along with rheumatoid arthritis led her from alcohol to cannabis to hard core drugs. As her life story played out, she eventually lost her job, her house and moved back in with her mother while finding financial support on the streets of Ohio, selling drugs. It was a saving grace moment when Amanda sold drugs to an undercover cop, but it would take a couple more arrests, despite the legal support of her parents to finally land her a 2 1/2-year prison sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Listen in as Amanda shares her past and her miraculous journey, behind the wall, that led her to find a second chance at The JBM Packaging Company.

Alicia and Jenna both grew up in middle-class, 2 parent homes. Alicia was a top student and leader in her school. Jenna went to a private school and had a typical teenage life. But while Alicia and Jenna lived 3000 miles apart their stories became intertwined because they both became victims of human trafficking while still in High School. Even worse, the men that trafficked them, were known to them, and their families. For Alicia, it was her high school soccer coach, and for Jenna, it was her boyfriend. You would think in 2024 that being held captive or forced to have sex for money, or be an indentured servant and live in bondage to another person, went the way of slavery, but it hasn’t. One in three runaways in the U.S. becomes trafficked by another human. There is no cookie-cutter version of a human trafficker or the men who pay to have sex with these women. While there are men who are trafficked, it is a relatively small number, but nonetheless, a violent crime, and for those who have been or still are trafficked, fear, shame, and trust are the biggest factors that keep them tied to their traffickers. It takes a village of love, trust, and therapeutic endeavors to return these victims to their families and communities.

Terah Lawyer is the first to tell you that her lived experience as a formerly incarcerated woman, absolutely fell into the ‘wrong place, wrong crowd, wrong time’ adage. Terah spent 15 years behind the wall, but realized early on, in her incarceration, that her mission was, as she states, “to love on the women” who were behind the wall with her. Taking that leadership role in prison and continuing to educate herself, receiving two associate degrees, was pivotal in preparing her for the work she would take on, once released. That work, in reentry and rehabilitation led Terah to advocate for other justice impacted individuals and not surprisingly it didn’t take long for her to take on the role of Associate Director of The Homecoming Project, an initiative that provides formerly incarcerated people with room to rent with matching housemates. From there Terah was asked to join CROP (Creating Restorative Justice and Programs) and was just recently promoted from Executive Director to President. Visit crop-org.squarespace.com to learn more about their holistic approach to reentry and services for those who are coming home from prison.

There are three comparisons one can make between the musical South Pacific and the Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay. Number 1, both involve islands, Number 2, both involve the U.S. Military and Number 3, both are created after a significant interaction with warring factions – World War II and September 11th. Guantanamo Bay, also referred to as Gitmo, is in Cuba and the military prison there first opened after the September 11th attacks. While the prison was created to house the worst terrorists, many detainees were not even Al Qaeda fighters, but villagers, turned in by their fellow countrymen, for large ransoms. At one time there were 779 people detained, and the reports of torture and abuse were real. Listen in as Attorney’s Bill Newman and Buz Eisenberg share their own experiences on Guantanamo, where, of their own volition, traveled to give council and represent a handful of detainees.

In 2003, Scott Budnick was an EVP at Green Hat Films. One evening he was invited to attend a writing workshop at the juvenile hall through the InsideOUT Writers program. Many of the young people in that program were facing adult prison sentences, and even worse, when released from the juvenile halls and prisons across California, many were returned to incarceration. So, the man whose day job was writing and producing, decided to orchestrate another production in 2013, a production whose mission he aptly named The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), its main mission, end mass incarceration. But ARC’s ongoing success, in workforce and housing programs, higher employment and lower recidivism rates, takes a well-trained village of team members and volunteers. Under the leadership of Executive Director, Sam Lewis, they continue to rewrite the ARC narrative by changing lives, changing laws, and changing the perception of justice involved individuals.

In the very male dominated field of Ironworkers, Bricklayers and Cement Masons, otherwise referred to as the Trades, a guiding light to help justice impacted WOMEN succeed after prison, has taken shape. Outside of Seattle, Washington, Business Agent, Heather Kurtenbach is leading the charge to see women who are nearing the end of their time behind the wall, participate in a program called TRAC, Trades Related Apprenticeship Coaching. TRAC is run by the Department of Corrections and the local trade unions and offers qualifying women a course in a trade, which then guarantees them a job upon their release. Down the road a piece in Portland, Oregon, Anna Martin is also leading the charge to help women at the Coffee Creek Correctional Center find success upon release. With some entrepreneurial spirit and an Ironworker background, Anna pulled together her local trades in Cement Masons and Bricklayers to form U-PACT, also an apprentice-based program. U-PACT is grant funded and not only offers the training and curriculum to the incarcerated women, but also the wrap-around services needed for equipment and clothing. With such a shortage of employable people in the U.S., these programs are a shining star to help justice involved individuals start over.

Imagine spending a full day, as a volunteer, sitting right next to, or across from, a justice impacted person, except you’re behind the wall with them! You’re shaking their hand, sharing ideas, their ideas to transform their lives, maybe start a business when they get released, and at the end of the day, watching them put on a cap and gown, maybe the first they ever had, and walk across a stage to accept a graduation certificate for participating in a program that brings leadership, empowerment, self-care, healing, and entrepreneurial ideas to paper. Well at Defy Ventures, you don’t have to imagine it. Since its beginnings over a decade ago, Defy Ventures has connected 7,200 volunteers with almost as many justice impacted individuals behind the wall. They’ve also connected many of those same individuals once they are released and have met reentry stability goals, with people and programs to move them forward with their business ideas. None of what Defy Ventures accomplishes is easy, but with Executive Directors, like Melissa O’Dell of Defy Ventures Illinois, even providing opportunities to ONE individual, like Cordelia Spivey, is life changing!