After getting out of prison, Jason Wang committed to helping ex-felons get jobs, end generational poverty, and re-enter society.

The United States’ incarceration system has made it nearly impossible for ex-felons to have a second chance at life.

From the minute they’re incarcerated to the minute they’re released, the U.S. justice system imposes the strictest and harshest of penalties. There is little support for felons once they return to life after imprisonment, and readjusting to society without support is extremely hard. Ex-felons are held to impossible standards during probation and expected to comply with an average of 18-20 requirements every single day — and 68 percent of felons end up being rearrested within three years of being released.

But there are people working to improve living conditions for ex-felons once they re-enter society. Free World is an organization working to end generational poverty and the chance of offenders reoffending, and is run by CEO Jason Wang, who is himself an ex-felon who was convicted as a minor. After leaving prison, he found it hard to readjust to civilian life — and now his non-profit works to get ex-felons into well-paying jobs to live life on their own terms.