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Second Chance Month: A Movement for Change

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April Is Second Chance Month

Did you know that 1 in 3 American adults has a criminal record, limiting access to education, jobs, housing, and other opportunities? [National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)] Nearly half of all children in the U.S. have at least one parent with a record. (Center for American Progress) Job applicants with a record are 50% less likely to receive a callback, leaving millions facing joblessness or poverty. [Devah Pager (landmark field experiment)] Additionally, women represent a growing portion of the justice-impacted population, many of whom are mothers and have experienced trauma prior to incarceration.

Men, women, and gender non-conforming people with criminal histories continue to face barriers long after they have paid their debt to society.

April marks Second Chance Month, a nationwide campaign that raises awareness about barriers experienced by individuals returning to communities after incarceration. It also focuses on ways to reduce recidivism through unlocking opportunities for returning citizens.

“I’m becoming the man my family always hoped I’d become.”
 – Jose Catalan, Community Organizer, All of Us or None-LA/LB

Transformations recognized through Second Chance Month are celebrated through stories like Jose Catalan’s journey from incarceration. Now a community organizer with A New Way of Life Reentry Project (ANWOL) and a member of All of Us or None – Los Angeles/Long Beach (AOUON-LA/LB), Jose brings purpose to his work rooted in lived experience. After serving 23 years of a life sentence, he shares that the idea of a second chance is not just symbolic, “it’s something I’m living every day.”

Reentering society after more than two decades came with profound challenges for Jose. From learning new technology to navigating a completely changed world, he describes the transition as overwhelming and deeply personal. He has also faced internal pressure “to succeed, to not make mistakes,” while rebuilding his life and managing the fear of letting others down. Still, he moves forward with determination, grounded in the belief that “I cannot guarantee that everything will work out, but I believe that it can.”

Jose challenges common misconceptions about life after incarceration, emphasizing that release is not freedom, but “when the real work begins.” Jose believes that reentry means rebuilding from the ground up while facing systemic barriers and redefining purpose and identity. His story is proof that transformation is possible. With the right support, opportunities, and belief, people can not only rebuild their lives but also give back to their communities in powerful ways.

For Jose, this chapter is about turning reflection into action, becoming “the man my family always hoped I’d become,” and honoring those still incarcerated by carrying their stories with him.

At ANWOL, we embody Second Chance Month by advancing community action through policy and advocacy. Our goal is to break barriers and provide opportunities to those who have paid their debt to society. April is more than a moment; it is a movement.

Through Second Chance Month, we bring attention to the challenges faced by justice-involved individuals, especially the social and structural barriers that limit access to housing, employment, education, and community support. These obstacles often make successful reentry difficult. Policy and advocacy are central to this mission, as efforts focused on legislation and programs help expand access to resources, restore rights, and reduce discrimination. Community action also plays a vital role in creating second chances. By recognizing the dignity and value of formerly incarcerated people, we can uplift the voices of those with lived experience.

All of Us or None: Advocacy in Action

This Second Chance Month, we’re highlighting AOUON-LA/LB, a grassroots network of individuals with past convictions who join together in advocacy to end discrimination against people with felony convictions and their families, both during incarceration and after release.

Fiscally sponsored by ANWOL, we are working to restore civil rights lost as a result of convictions and/or incarceration. Our work focuses on dismantling systemic discrimination and reducing the reentry barriers that justice-involved individuals experience.

“A second chance isn’t just a ‘do over’… it is the opportunity to apply a decade of reflection and learning to a blank canvas.”
– Jared James, AOUON-LA/LB Organizing Fellow

Like Jose Catalan, Jared James embodies the spirit of Second Chance Month: growth, accountability, and the courage to build anew. As a community organizing fellow with AOUON-LA/LB and a college junior studying business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship, Jared brings both lived experience and a forward-thinking vision to advocacy work.

He shares that “a second chance isn’t just a ‘do over’… it is the opportunity to apply a decade of reflection and learning to a blank canvas.” Since his parole in July, he has embraced each day as “a gift” and an opportunity to shape a better future.

Like many navigating reentry, Jared has faced the challenge of adjusting to the fast pace and demands of daily life. Focusing on school, work, and relationships, he describes this as “a constant balancing act” that requires intention and resilience. He challenges misconceptions about life after incarceration, emphasizing that “release is actually where the real work begins.” For Jared, success is rooted in “daily discipline and the perseverance to keep moving forward,” even when facing systemic barriers. His story is a reminder that second chances are built one day at a time.

Policy in Action

AOUON-LA/LB is currently co-sponsoring two bills: AB 2095 and AB 1646.

AB 2095, introduced by Assembly Member Alex Lee on February 18, 2026, aims to strengthen California’s “Ban the Box” laws to further protect job applicants with a criminal record. Removing the “Consent” Loophole. Currently, employers cannot ask about your criminal history on an initial application. However, some employers get around this by asking for consent to run a background check early in the process.

AB 1646 (Bryan) this bill focuses on visitation rights within juvenile facilities. It proposes to add a new section (Section 224.75) to the Welfare and Institutions Code to establish clearer or expanded rules regarding how and when juveniles in custody can meet with visitors.

Primary Goal: To regulate or protect the ability of youth in juvenile facilities to maintain connections with family or support systems through visitation.

ANWOL Policy and Advocacy Manager Michelle Chambers notes: “It’s important that we pass policies to give people a second chance to unify with their families, gain employment opportunities, and assure those who are incarcerated that they have our support and a shot at a second chance.”

To learn more and get involved, please email AOUON@anewwayoflife.org

BILLS IN SUPPORT OF
ANWOL & AOUON INCLUDE:

  • California Assembly Bill 464
  • California Assembly Bill 1922
  • California Senate Bill 891
  • California Assembly Bill 1969
  • California Assembly Bill 2119
  • California Assembly Bill 1645
  • AB-1595
  • AB 2483
  • SB-1105
  • AB-2217
  • AB-1737
  • AB-2593
  • AB-1646
  • SB-1399
  • AB-1647
  • AB-1537
  • AB-1958
  • SB-436
  • AB-2122
  • AB-2499

ANWOL Providing Emergency Relief to LA Fire Survivors

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The January 2025 wildfires devastated Los Angeles, leaving thousands of families displaced, homes destroyed, and entire communities struggling to recover. While disaster affects everyone, it does not affect everyone equally. The crisis hit hardest for those already facing economic insecurity—low-income families, people impacted by incarceration, and workers in industries now disrupted by the fires.

Starting on March 18th, A New Way of Life began welcoming displaced Altadena families to our distribution center in Montebello, CA. As an LA based nonprofit, we feel a responsibility to help our community, and we know what it’s like to start over from nothing. So we are stepping in to provide immediate relief and long-term support—ensuring that no one is left behind. So far, we have served over 150 individuals on their road to normalcy.

Immediate and Long-Term Relief: A Community Hub for Recovery

  1. Direct cash assistance ($500-$1,000 per household)
  2. Clothing, toiletries, and household essentials

Our Goals:

  1. Support 500-1,000 households with direct assistance
  2. Push for policy changes that ensure fair wages and employment opportunities for marginalized communities, including incarcerated firefighters

Many have lost not just their homes, but also their jobs, financial stability, and access to critical services. These families were already navigating housing insecurity and economic hardship before the fires—now, they are at even greater risk of displacement, unemployment, and deepening poverty.

How You Can Help:
This is not just about relief—it’s about justice. Together, we have a unique opportunity to invest in a recovery model that prioritizes equity and systemic change. The individuals displaced by the fires deserve more than a return to poverty and exclusion, and Angelenos of every socioeconomic status deserve to be able to rebuild their lives with dignity and ample support after this disaster.

  1. Fund our initiative—your support will provide immediate relief and long-term stability.
  2. Advocate with us—help push for fair employment opportunities for everyone impacted, including incarcerated firefighters.

Together, we will build a just recovery for everyone impacted by the LA fires.

Donate Today

Black–Still: Testif-i Living Library

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On July 16, A New Way of Life partnered with the enFOLD Collective to showcase our Testif-i multimedia initiative through the Black–Still installation at the Craft Contemporary museum. Evie, a member of our 2022 Testif-i cohort, shared her powerful reentry story: the challenges she’s faced, the support she’s received, and the resilience she’s practiced while being true to herself on her healing journey.

Testif-i is a storytelling platform that highlights the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated women and their families, whose stories are often left unheard due to the systemic discrimination that they face. The initiative aims to change the narrative about mass incarceration while focusing on women’s experiences in particular. As the Sentencing Project notes, women are the fastest-growing segment of the prison population. In spite of this, stories about men tend to dominate national conversations, so Testif-i seeks to rectify that.

Black–Still attendees watching Evie’s Testif-i video before entering the exhibit.

As a Testif-i participant, Evie expressed her passion for transforming the pain of her past into purpose. She vividly described the inhumane nature of her incarceration, during which she gave birth under degrading conditions. After incarceration, Evie made great strides in her personal and professional life. Evie became a resident at A New Way of Life, and then later accepted a position in our Administrative Department. She dreams of one day opening her own SAFE House, just like Ms. Susan Burton, whose story inspired her when she first read her memoir in prison.

Description of the Craft Contemporary’s enFOLD Collective: Black – Still exhibit.

The Black–Still installation at Craft Contemporary provided a tranquil space for sharing Evie’s story and the struggles that many formerly incarcerated women and their families face. With cool mist providing respite from a hot summer day, and with the walls drowning out the sounds of a bustling Los Angeles city street, the space invited reflection from the attendees.

Inside the Black–Still exhibit.

This exhibit stands out as even more important in the context of a country that often does not offer any support for the 1.9 million women released from prisons and jails each year or their families. Community-based initiatives like Testif-I and Black–Still will continue to serve critical roles of providing marginalized communities with platforms for sharing their stories and changing unjust systems.