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Every April, the nation turns its attention to Second Chance Month, a time to recognize the over 600,000 people who return to our communities from prisons and jails each year. But while society gives a polite nod to the idea of redemption, many returning citizens, especially those with lengthy sentences, quietly face another kind of sentence: a lifetime of barriers, judgment, and exclusion.

For individuals who have served decades behind bars, reentry isn’t just difficult, it’s dehumanizing. Many were incarcerated under outdated policies like mandatory minimums, three-strikes laws, and “tough on crime” sentencing trends that disproportionately impacted communities of color. According to The Sentencing Project, nearly one in seven people in U.S. prisons is serving a life sentence. Many of these individuals were under 25 at the time of their offense and have now spent more time incarcerated than free.

The conversation around second chances often centers on nonviolent offenses or short-term incarceration. While those stories matter, we must expand the narrative to include individuals who served lengthy or life sentences and have worked tirelessly toward rehabilitation, education, and transformation. These are not people clinging to freedom…they are people who have earned it.

Yet, even after serving their time, they face systemic rejection. Background checks disqualify them from jobs they are more than capable of performing. Housing applications are denied. Professional licenses are off-limits. Even voting rights remain tangled in red tape in many states. The stigma of a criminal record, especially one tied to a long sentence, overshadows the reality of who they’ve become.

Fair reintegration is not just about employment or housing…it’s about dignity. It’s about recognizing the human potential for change. The Vera Institute of Justice has long emphasized the importance of restorative, not retributive, justice…a system that values healing and community safety over perpetual punishment. People are not static. They grow. They evolve. And when that evolution happens behind prison walls, it deserves to be honored on the outside.

Too often, those returning home after decades are seen as risky instead of resilient. But countless studies show that older individuals with long sentences are among the least likely to reoffend (Stanford Criminal Justice Center). These men and women don’t need more hurdles. They need open doors and fair policies that allow them to reenter society with support and hope…not shame.

Second Chance Month is more than a hashtag or campaign, it’s a reminder of the work still ahead. It calls us to challenge the systems that make reentry harder than it has to be. It urges us to reimagine what justice looks like when it includes redemption. And it invites us to see people for who they are today, not who they were at their lowest moment.

True justice does not end at the prison gate. It continues with reentry, restoration, and the collective responsibility to ensure that no one who has done the work to rebuild their life is denied the opportunity to live it.