Basic Black; 3214; Second Chances: Life After Incarceration

You Coming up next basic black she has the struggle of those fighting for a second chance Tracy's life is not unique. I'm quite sure in all of our communities We have people who are dealing with

complexities of these sorts life after incarceration is a challenge to redeem one's life and purpose That's up next on basic black Good evening, I'm Darren to war 10 welcome to basic black The reintegration of ex offenders into society is a major issue facing our community Here at the South Bay Correctional Center in Suffolk County, Massachusetts on average about 200 prisoners are released each month statewide that number is 1 ,700 How does an individual with a criminal record overcome the burden of having a criminal record and in some cases a history of substance abuse? Tonight we look at one man's efforts to live a productive life after incarceration

When I look in the mirror I look at from where I come from to where I'm at I could be committed another crime. I could be out there doing something that God knows I have no business doing but then again I could be dead People do cocaine in all different kinds of ways, you know, some people shoot it some people snort it some people smoke it, you know No smoking cocaine I mean, it was the addiction that if you are high you have to drive to get more and if you're not high you have to drive to get it Carjacking went from a bad situation It got worse from the sense a shoplifting turned into a carjacking

I did Two years of waiting trial and five years Stay time off carjacking This building is called Suffolk County house of correction It's a building that's housed the majority of the people who's been arrested and sentenced in Suffolk County From anywhere from one day to two and a half years, but also to it incarcerates the state inmates. I Was here for about three years. I Know Tracy from a baby. I I Used to watch him change his diapers baby set of Tracy, know In all the essence of Tracy that biggest thing amongst our family is trusting Tracy It's hard because you don't want to be looking over your back always at your relatives, you know thinking they're gonna take something or You know checking behind them all the time

when they come and stuff, you know, because it's been done that He was a good child. Oh, he was a good child That's why it's so hard to to believe the things that he do when he's when Tracy's on drugs Tracy's mostly battling with The death of of my aunt Daisy his grandmother My aunt Daisy Was stabbed and she bled to death in her bed But she was stabbed by her grandson Tracy's brother Anthony Anthony was on drugs. It makes you hallucinate and stuff when Anthony Came to and realized what he had done to today's he He turned himself in Anthony right now is serving life Maybe Tracy does see his self some of his self in Anthony

I guess maybe when he was getting high like that, you know, Tracy has a Big thing to do with the short time to do it and to redeem himself to forgive his brother You know And deal with his sins because he's committed quite a bit Jesus you're my king I think the moment that I changed was the moment that I was arrested the artist which is You know because I've always had faith in God And I've always known that this situation that I've been in that only God and brought me out When I heard that Tracy was attending ministry in South Bay that told me that there was someone inside who was struggling to make things right in his life and When Tracy came to the union Baptist Church, he seemed like a man who was in need of redemption and

the reason of why was because of fact that he was coming out of incarceration and and People had perceptions about who he was and who he could become It was man who's in need of a second chance a Lot of my perception of Tracy was gleaned from my relationship with the Molly long -time member of this church I think that inside of everybody no matter who you are genuinely People have a good heart people want to do good It was beautiful spring day In April I was at the laundry mat while washing clothes and I met him there We met my

family and It's really you know just the innocent sweet You know relationship What happened I Wasn't quite ready to be serious in a relationship because I was still sort of figuring out what I wanted out of my life and After about nine ten months we talked about it and I told him that I just wanted a break It was about a little over a year later that I heard from Tracy and he had called me from South Bay Prison and the grace of God she asked She said where are you and I told her she said what's your visitor schedule? And I told her I would say the first year we talked on the phone the most And when that got too expensive we started writing a whole lot more Tracy was very faithful

in his letters He would write me every week Every week it would come on Tuesday every Tuesday the letter would come We correspond for six years We married about a year after he got out I think about the fact that not only has Tracy been incarcerated, but also his oldest brother and his youngest brother and I tried to encourage Tracy To show something different and to be a different legacy in his family's generation Well, I like to thank those who attended The fellow prison fellowship ministry yesterday. We really had a real good time like to thank you. was working and with the labor unions and He was doing all right with his wife But there was a yearning of burning

inside of him to do more to try to give back I'm not sure maybe even to To write and to set it right some of the wrongs that he's done I'm no different than any of you guys, you know, this is my second chance as well, you know I've been incarcerated. I've been walked the same streets. You guys and walk Probably been in some of the same houses you guys have been in, you know, but I was given a second chance So that's what brought this program about, you know, right now I'm a member of local 151 the labor's in the National Union. I work construction in the construction field I'm married. I'm a father five Second -chance ministries was really was born out of a relationship with Tracy Parks The Department of Corrections have has statistics of like 20 ,000 in may so be released this year I know that in the Boston area

the rate is around 250 a month and they are coming back to the communities with an experience of incarceration that that molds a kind of attitude and And they're coming back into the communities with no prospects of of getting a job and a face with ways of Survival that puts them in conflict with those who are already there on the streets and allow that what Tracy's doing right now Father God fought the best from fruit in Jesus Christ's name Father God Knowing that Tracy was here in the church and realizing that one way the statistics reflect a reduction in the recidivism rate for for ex -offenders is the indicator of church attendance and knowing that if if if we could

Somehow bring together these two opportunities of ministry that we could create something that could make a dent And so we work with the building trades Carpenters Union bricklayers the Demolition unions on the building trades in order to secure apprenticeships through their organizations The start of February 2002 March of 2002 was the first connections Then various unions What second chance offers it offers the opportunity for Individual who've had a criminal background to learn the trade We have a contract that we Have our clients or members of second -chance sign Remember I'm doing in that contract. It states that attendance is a must and

Your school and whatever classes whatever you must do far as your apprenticeship is a must Right being on time and showing up number one To key to key elements are on time and being there every day the job runs The perception that I would have of Tracy Parks as a result of his criminal background in his criminal history would be a person who Was beyond rehabilitation Coming out of incarceration everybody knows coming out of a drug program everybody knows it ain't easy Old habits become familiar the new habits become hard It's easier to go back to jail and get three hearts in a cot Then it is getting up every morning at 5 30 catching the team going to work now the Tracy Parks that I've met Here at Union Baptist Church. I see a person who Seems to have a heart For people who he knows that struggling with the same

issues that he has struggled with all these years My name is Lawrence battle For eight years old lifetime Cambridge resident born and raised right here in this church Recover an alcoholic an addict And I think the most I can Say about second chances You know a chance to Be able to walk with my head tall and to Be responsible to be on time to You know give an honest days work for an honest days pay, you know just to One of the reasons why I'm involved with second chance ministry is because I have a background of substance abuse and I'm in my 16th year of recovery and Mr. Parks, I know he's still in early stages of recovery and so I'm there To to monitor in a sense to be able

to have the the focus and the awareness and That six cents to kind of pick up on What's going on not what I what people are telling me, but what they're not telling me The Lord will Break through this side best let's try second tenors ready Does it matter to me that he has served time in jail? for Conjuring does it bother me that? Tracy has a history of Substance abuse as the police chief It's nice to know it As a police officer that this is where he comes from But as a man in the church Who's been asked by the pastor to Support a program where ex -offenders Given an opportunity to

again take part in the society in a way which is productive No, it does not When I look at those men who put the who are presently participating in second chance And you try to measure the obstacles that they face They're great a lot of professions are shut to them a lot of government work is shut to them So they can't get these jobs Well, let me just say something to the men. First of all congratulations on being accepted into the program I'm secondly. I'm happy to see that you're back in the church Because I think being in the church is going to give you a foundation The third and most important thing I'm going tell you is that you represent the future of this program And if you fail the program fails This program is staking its future on you generally And you represent union baptist church because if you close this door You're closing this door on people who are going to come behind you. I don't have blinders on. know that

this is a risk for Union baptist church, and I know that this is a risk personally for me to To move this program forward But I also believe that the essence of The church for the 21st century is about taking these kinds of risks I know all of the problems with race in the city of boston and uh, it's reflected also Uh across the board in society understand all of that But there's also something to be said about the building of relationships We've had over 250 applicants out of those 250 applicants. We've only taken about 25 so far That's not a lot. Yeah, you know, but you are here looking for an opportunity We as an organization in the past you know, it was

a good old boys club here the white boys club and Because cities and towns and municipalities have quotas We had to restructure our thinking on what type of candidates are we going to take in as as apprentices per se But since I've been on board 70 of all applicants are minorities Our first up is laurence battle Lawrence well, I'm here through my church second chance ministries, um You know and um, I've been working with my hands all my life And I'm just trying to find a better way to uh, take care of my family and raise my family These guys, uh, are gonna go through the same rigors as everybody else. Today's just one day You know, we've got 43 people left what you want our lines lines are a good thing out of those

43 We're probably gonna lose almost half between drug testing And just not showing up tomorrow on time We lose 50 percent Every step of the application process a minute and it'll darken up It'll be a little easier to see but I know at this point that that's negative really Tracy um Is a good provider. He's a very hard worker And in taking up second chance. He um has decided to Take a leave of absence from his job doing construction And so um, this has come as a huge sacrifice to our family Our income just alone Has really been tried I think his biggest fear is if if you know second chance isn't successful um We would have lost a lot

My fears are that when I hold my meetings that One two three or four or maybe all six of them is not there And I go to pick up the phone and they said X got arrested Z's back on drugs C is out there in the street somewhere One thing I have desired of the lord that I will seek after That I might dwell in the house of the lord I think tracy is trying to redeem himself Because he has a lot of cleansing to do, you know, I think this is his way of getting help But I'm glad that he that tracy has um Looked looked to the lord for help, you know Because he was brought up in church anyway So I I really don't know if tracy up How long is going to last? I hope it lasts a long time But he's he's done this before He said that he's

preformed before yeah, and he goes he'll go to church You know, but I Really don't know I hope he I hope tracy doesn't Get off the wagon. hope he stays stays with god for it so he can Be the sweet person that he is, you know Let others see the sweet person that he is because he really tracy really is a sweet person But when he's got that in him, he's he's ugly for the month of april we're going to do one Mandatory meeting a week. I hope tracy with this program does help him as much as it helped the ones he's trying to help Tracey's life is not unique. I'm quite sure that uh in all of our communities We have people who are dealing with complexities of these sorts But because they are

complex doesn't mean that they are not Overcomable And I think this is what tracy is seeking to do. Does he have a way to go in order to do that? Yes, but we all do It's a tight walk, you know And it's not easy It's not easy because the pressures of those fears Of falling off off the wagon And falling into the abyss of drug addiction returning back to jail I mean, there's just enormous some time But then again, I have to break it down to a minute at a time And sometimes I'll wear the time No, and that's the program say one day at a time I think tracy is very aware of How people perceive him and looking at his past and looking at the things he's done And I know that there is a lot of pressure on him to show a different side of

himself My biggest fear is that you know, I'll have a brick loose and he'll go back out and you know, things will happen, but Even if that happens, you know, I'll be hurt My heart, you know, my heart'll ache for a while pick myself back up and I'd move on you know, and Hopefully I'll make better decisions You know, but if things go great, we'll have something wonderful, you know to show people that Don't always judge somebody from what you hear What you see, know, always hope For something better Why Did I make a mistake? Yes You know, do I regret making that mistake? Yes Do I know what was in jeopardy? Yes, I did Did I really focus on it? No, have I been? Yes

And do I feel as if I let people down? I do and those are pressures that a person has to walk with Those are pressures that a person have to live with and if a person is not stable or ready to live with those pressures Those pressures can crush them So when you talk about someone who has spent most of his life, uh, either Addicted to drugs or in that life or someone who has Stolen from their family And they struggle for Redemption, you know It is a risk that you take in order to embrace them as part of of the community But that is what the gospel is all about I pray,

I pray a lot. I pray for his, uh, deliverance I pray for his recovery all the time and I have faith in god that he knows exactly what he's doing with my life and so I can't be afraid to live it This program means a lot not only to me, but to other people, but I don't want My recovery. I don't want my walk or my personal life To be a blight on second chance because it's not about tracy parks. It's about second chance I don't think uh, the success of this program and his success goes Necessarily hand in hand because I believe that god has his hand in this program And that we are just vehicles that he chose to use To get this thing moving. So it's not about myself. It's not about mr. Park It's about accepting us for who we are for wherever we are Do I think he's gonna make it

I have faith that he does Faith is the substance of things hoped for And the evidence of things not seen And there is certainly evidence inside of tracy and in demali That they have a chance to overcome this Do they have challenges ahead? They most certainly do But I have faith that they'll get through Yeah Yeah I'll go back to jail when you got this You know life is good Stop we've just seen the internal struggles facing ex offenders can be just as great as their external challenges The second chance program created here at the union baptist church in cambridge Continues on with help from

tracy parks As for the men in the original group Two have dropped out and four are involved in apprenticeship programs This story isn't over these men have further to go The reality is that within three years of release 53 percent of african -american inmates end up back in jail tracy parks hits his third year anniversary in may of 2003 But because of his strong support network odds are good. He'll stay out of prison And we hope he makes it for all of us in basic black. I'm darin duarte. Good night For questions and comments, please contact our website at wgbh .org keyword basic black You

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