Transcript
What inspires you from WFSU Public Media? Here's this week's Voices That Inspire. Hi, I'm Dale White. I'm the president and CEO of the Living Harvest. The Living Harvest is a reentry program for those that have been criminally justice involved that mostly suffer with substance abuse issues. First of all, I believe everybody deserves a second chance. We're also focused on public safety because when somebody is coming out of jail or prison or involved criminally justice issues that kind of thing, they're going to create more crimes in our community. But what they need is a pathway to build a purposeful life, a successful life, and the opportunities to do that. Most of the ones that have been criminally justice evolved have never had those opportunities. It's close to my heart because I'm one of them. Countless detoxified treatment centers, 4 DUIs, a six and a half year prison sentence, and I got out of prison and ended up going back down the rabbit hole. And I understood how hard that transition and that pathway to being successful, just to live a life that's average. How difficult that is when you come out of prison and you're carrying a felony record, nobody wants to rent a apartment to you, nobody wants to give you a job. There's just so many barriers up that it's hard to navigate through all of that. Most of the guys that we work with who've been to jail, they were traumatized before they went to jail. And then we traumatized them some more when we lock them up. And then they're traumatized some more when they're released and they can't find work. You have to handle them with kid gloves and at the same time you have to be structured and firm in some aspects to help them navigate that process and just let them know that, look, those are the things you did, that's not who you are, but there's a way through that. And it's by taking one step at a time and doing the next right thing, listening to the mentors that are trying to help you because they've been there before you and work your way through that. I always tell them, don't quit before the miracle because there's one for you too and they happen every day. Dale White and the president and CEO of the Living Harvest. You're listening to voices that inspire.