Prison to Promise

Ms. Connie Chisolm wrote in her biography that she used to be a  career criminal who was allowed to turn her life around after her last arrest on 11/6/2003 thru drug court. She got sent to a long-term residential program (i.e., Liberty Manor) and connected with the Healthy Sisters Soup and Bean works. Connie “flipped all my illegal skills into positive ones” and noted that “these programs gave me confidence and self-esteem.” After 20 years of using drugs and going to jail multiple times, Connie says she learned to be a productive member of society. She became a member of Narcotics Anonymous, held a service position in H&I (hospitals and Institutions), and was able to go back into the jails to carry a message of hope. Once she got hired at Spiritus Christi Prison Outreach, she was able to go into the jails and get PAID for going to jail. Unfortunately, Connie’s addiction spilled over into her family, resulting in her children being incarcerated. Today she has a relationship with all of her family. Her job at the Jennifer House allows her to give women the tools to be successful, where they provide housing and support for all the women that come through the Jennifer House. Today Connie runs a program for housing for the men and women that come through the Jennifer House program. The program provides case management to program participants, even after they move into their apartments, as well as helping with subsidies for their rent.

Carl "Cee Scott" Scott came up in the streets of Rochester, New York. After serving two prison sentences, he began using Higher Education to understand himself better and help change his life's course. Today Cee works to help young fathers and other men traveling a similar road he once traversed to find their way.

In 1991, at the age of 19, Mr. Young was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years. On May 15, 2014, after serving 22 years and 5 months in prison, Mr. Young was released on parole. One year after his release, he established his non-profit organization, Path2Redemption. Listen to the practical and spiritual wisdom and insight brother Lester Young has to share about personal transformation and what it takes for successful post-incarceration community reentry.

Dr. Waleed shares his personal account about the elements that contributed to his incarceration in New York State prison and the steps he took by pursuing Higher Education to turn his life around.

This segment is an introduction to the soon-to-be-released podcast Prison to Promise. A podcast about creating successful lives after getting out of prison.