The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people housed in jails and prisons. Between 1970 and 2026, the nation’s prison population increased by more than 500 percent. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 70 percent of African American men released from prison are rearrested or reincarcerated within three years.
African Americans also experience the highest incarceration rate of any racial group in the United States, with more than 750,000 Black men and women currently incarcerated.
Behind these sobering statistics, however, are individuals who have defied the odds. They are men and women who have rebuilt their lives after incarceration, found meaningful employment and purpose. Their blueprint can provide a path for others looking for a way out of the revolving prison door.
Kevin Waters was just 12 years old when he became fascinated with gang culture. His older sister associated with gang members, and through that association he learned the unwritten rules of gang life—who to avoid, who to respect, and how conflicts were settled.
“If somebody disrespects your neighborhood or disrespects you, it’s whatever type of punishment you choose to exact on that individual,” Waters said. “Whether it’s fighting or stabbing or shooting or whatever, the devaluing of a human life for a cause was the mentality.”
At 14, Waters ran away from home. By age 15, he had been arrested twice—first for truancy and later for attempting to rob a liquor store. At 18, he and two friends planned to rob a movie theater. During the robbery, one of the teens shot and killed the theater manager.
Although Waters did not pull the trigger, California’s felony murder rule—which holds all participants in certain felonies criminally responsible for a death that occurs during the crime—resulted in his conviction. He was sentenced to 41 years to life in prison.
For the first 15 years of his incarceration, Waters remained immersed in gang culture, participating in gang activity and selling drugs inside prison.
Everything changed during a visit from his parents. They told him that if something happened to them, he would be responsible for managing the family’s affairs and caring for his sisters and an older brother with a developmental disability.
“There was a conflict within me that needed to be resolved. Either I was going to be this person who they thought I was, that I had convinced them that I was, or not,” Waters said. “I decided that I have to truly let this stuff go and be committed to my family and the people who really love me.”
Waters began transforming his life. He earned certification as an alcohol and drug counselor, completed an associate degree in psychology, wrote a book about gang violence and victim impact, developed a training curriculum, and taught educational classes to other incarcerated individuals.
His efforts paid off. In 2015, after serving 25 years, the parole board found him suitable for release.
Unbeknownst to Waters, his father had developed pancreatic cancer during his incarceration. His early release allowed him to spend his father’s final days by his side.
Today, ten years after leaving prison, Waters is the founder of the Dream Live Hope Foundation in Inglewood. The organization operates two transitional housing facilities that have served nearly 100 formerly incarcerated individuals through individualized support and 90-day reentry programs. Participants receive assistance with independent living, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, financial literacy, and other life skills.
The foundation also operates a 24-hour youth and community center that provides after-school programming, including driver’s education.
Waters believes one of the greatest barriers to successful reentry is the lack of emotional support available to people leaving prison.
“They need a lot of emotional support, they need a lot of empathy. Imagine being locked in your closet for 25 years,” Waters said. “Just the fact that you’re isolated is a form of torture. There’s a decompression that needs to come with that. And a lot of people who are coming home, they don’t decompress from that trauma.”
For many African Americans, the revolving prison door begins long before adulthood.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the school-to-prison pipeline—a series of policies and practices that push students into the juvenile and criminal justice systems—often begins with underfunded public schools. Overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, inadequate counseling services, and limited educational resources create environments where students are more likely to disengage from school.
At the same time, zero-tolerance disciplinary policies have dramatically increased suspensions and expulsions, often for relatively minor infractions. Students have been suspended or expelled for bringing items such as nail clippers or scissors to school. School suspension rates have climbed from approximately 6 percent in 1973 to 16 percent in recent years, contributing to greater contact with the juvenile justice system, which often leads to incarceration as an adult.
Even after release from prison, formerly incarcerated individuals often face significant barriers, including limited employment opportunities, inadequate education, untreated mental illness, substance abuse, and a lack of consistent emotional and social support. Together, these challenges contribute to high recidivism rates.
For Derrick Hill, addiction was the catalyst that first led him into the criminal justice system.
At age 25, Hill occasionally smoked marijuana. Once, when he couldn’t find it, an acquaintance introduced him to crack cocaine.
“Once I hit that, the chase was on,” Hill said.
His addiction developed during the height of the nation’s tough-on-crime drug policies. Between 1988 and 1994, Hill cycled repeatedly in and out of prison.
In 1994, he made a life-changing decision.
“I took a good look at myself. I wasn’t that kind of person. I wasn’t even a person to use drugs or anything. I didn’t smoke weed. I gave it up right there. That was 32 years ago.”
Unfortunately, Hill’s days of incarceration were not over. In 2007, he was involved in a traffic collision in which a passenger in another vehicle was killed. Hill said the other driver had been under the influence of alcohol, but because of his prior criminal record, he was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and returned to prison. He was released in 2017.
Following his release, Hill enrolled in the Amity Foundation’s reentry programs, including Dad’s Back Academy. The academy’s curriculum includes parenting, child development, healthy relationships, character development, résumé writing, job readiness, and mock interviews through its “Parole to Payroll” component.
After graduating from Dad’s Back, Hill joined the organization as a recruiter. Since then, he has helped more than 500 formerly incarcerated individuals enroll in the academy.
Hill believes recidivism is driven less by criminal intent than by unresolved trauma, unstable relationships, and inadequate support systems.
“They’re not taught that when they get home, they need to work on becoming independent,” Hill said. “Halfway houses and sober living facilities are important for rebuilding life during transition. I believe that’s the way for them to go so they can get themselves together.”
A landmark RAND Corporation study found that incarcerated individuals who participate in educational programs are 43 percent less likely to return to prison and are significantly more likely to find employment after release. The National Institute of Justice has similarly concluded that comprehensive reentry programs that combine education, employment assistance, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and ongoing community support consistently improve employment outcomes while reducing recidivism.
While statistics paint a grim picture of incarceration and recidivism for African Americans, successful reentry is possible when individuals have access to education, stable housing, employment opportunities, mentorship, and emotional support. Recidivism requires more than releasing people from prison—it requires investing in the resources that allow people to rebuild their lives. Second chances become lasting success stories when communities provide the support people need as they come home.
