Something was different about Adam. You could hear it in the tone of his voice—the quick, energetic way he spoke about life before and after his release from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

After spending the last 16 years or so in and out of prison, did Adam sound like a man resigned to a life of recidivism? No—crackling through the speaker, stronger than the patchy cellphone signal, rang the confident voice of a man at work, eager to share his hope.

Breaking the cycle of recidivism

Adam was 42 years old when we met him. He had recently served two and a half years in prison, but that was nothing new. With no children and no real career to provide a sense of purpose, much of Adam’s adult life was spent bouncing in and out of prison. However, something shifted during his most recent period of incarceration. It changed his mindset and the entire trajectory of his life.

As a part of that change, Adam started taking his life more seriously. He enrolled in every available program to prepare himself for success after release. From welding to culinary arts, from food handler’s certification to “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and faith-based courses, Adam soaked up every opportunity like a sponge, building a wealth of personal and professional skills to share with the world upon reentry.

Becoming a Forgiven Felon

When he learned that he would be coming up for release, Adam committed himself to breaking the cycle of recidivism and doing life differently. Upon reentry, he was accepted into the Forgiven Felons halfway house. There, he found a loving, supportive community to assist in the transition. However, finding a safe living situation wasn’t the only obstacle Adam faced in his journey to a better life.

All of his vital documents were lost in the chaos of Adam’s previous moves. Without an ID, birth certificate, and social security card, it proved nearly impossible for Adam to get a job, find healthcare, rent an apartment, or complete countless other necessary tasks. He was fighting an uphill battle just to live, let alone improve. How could he track down all the proper documents?

Finding The Way Back

Thankfully, Forgiven Felons had a solution for Adam. They encouraged him to call The Way Back, and he was assigned to Ms. Gonzalez, a kind and knowledgeable reentry specialist. She worked closely with Adam, first providing him with a Welcome Home backpack full of personal hygiene items, snacks, and bus passes. Then, she leveraged her network and expertise to help Adam track down all of his vital documents. One huge obstacle down, another to go.

Even with all of the skills, training, and certifications Adam earned in prison, finding a job proved trickier than expected. Adam's resume looked rather skimpy because he had been locked up repeatedly for the past 16 years. He tried applying to culinary and food service jobs to use his certifications, but without any previous job experience, it seemed impossible to secure a living wage in the food industry.

Refusing to accept defeat, Adam again turned to The Way Back for help. He figured if he earned a forklift certification, he could get hired in a warehouse and make enough money to live on. How could he gain the certification? Adam’s case worker, Ms. Gonzalez, found a two-day class through the Ready to Work program and equipped Adam to enroll in the class. He successfully completed it and emerged with the forklift, ready lift, and electric pallet jack certification.

Even then, Adam faced challenges when getting hired as a forklift operator because everyone he talked to required more warehouse experience than he possessed. However, Ms. Gonzalez refused to let Adam get discouraged or defeated. She continued to diligently search for opportunities, sending him a flood of leads, job listings, and more resources than he could even process!

Clear Goals, Love, and Support

In the end, Adam secured a steady, full-time job with a company that operated a network of warehouses. Ms. Gonzalez was cheering him on every step of the way, and The Way Back even offered to provide steel-toed boots and other necessary gear. When we spoke with Adam six weeks after he was hired, he enthusiastically shared how grateful he felt—not only for the job, but for how Ms. Gonzalez listened to him, coached him, and helped provide this priceless opportunity.

During previous periods of incarceration and release, Adam had no hope. But this time, it was different. When we asked why, Adam shared that in prison, he had surrendered his life to Jesus Christ 100%. Then, upon release, he experienced the love, support, and resources from Forgiven Felons and The Way Back. He heard Ms. Gonzalez’s testimony and read others on The Way Back’s website, and he began to really believe that change was possible.

As we wrapped up our call, Adam shared, “It helped me to relate to someone like me. When I got out of TDCJ, I was overwhelmed by the pressure of not having a job or way to pay rent. Without support, it would have been a lot harder for me to deal with. But now it’s like having a friend who actually cares. There’s accountability, transparency, honesty. I have clear goals. I’m in it with my heart, and I thank God for that. People who don’t have those resources go right back.”