“Your mind and habits will create either barriers or bridges to a better future” - Dr. Al Siebert.  While re-entry programs, 2nd chance hiring, education, and halfway houses are known to lower recidivism rates, it is still, sadly, not the norm.  If there is an upside to being jailed in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, it is their 16-bed halfway house with community-based programming and educational opportunities called, most appropriately, The Bridge to the Future House. In part 1 of this two-part story, on location, in the kitchen at the house, incarcerated individuals, Dakota, Matt, Sonny, and Eric, share the stories of what put them behind the wall, and the steps they are taking to become better citizens, parents, and people once they have served their time.