St. Cyr and the Power of a Second Chance

St. Cyr’s story illustrates the need for supportive reentry services for formerly incarcerated individuals who face barriers to accessing employment due to exclusionary policies.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice, Criminal Justice Reform, Public Safety, Second Chances +1 More

Media Contact

Gaby Blanco

Senior Constituency Media Associate

[email protected]

Rafael Medina

Director, Media Relations

[email protected]

Government Affairs

Peter Gordon

Senior Director, Government Affairs

[email protected]

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are released from prison and millions more are released from jails across the United States. Like St. Cyr, many of these individuals are young people who will face both readiness and access barriers to finding employment, including lacking educational or employment experience or proper identification and being shut out from the labor market due to exclusionary policies against those with criminal records. St. Cyr’s story highlights the need for supportive reentry services and demonstrates the impact second chances can have on individuals, families, and communities.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Akua Amaning

Director of Public Safety

Allie Preston

Senior Policy Analyst, Public Safety

David Ballard

Former Associate Director, Economic Policy

Marina Zhavoronkova

Former Senior Fellow

Producers

Andrew Sonntag

Former Events Video Producer

Hai-Lam Phan

Managing Director, Creative

Toni Pandolfo

Video Producer

Ala Al Sadi

Former Video Producer

Team

Public Safety

Protecting people from crime is one of the government’s most fundamental and urgent responsibilities. However, the current reality is that too many crimes go unsolved and too many victims lack justice. The Center for American Progress is committed to advancing evidence-based policies that keep individuals safe by solving crime when it happens, ensuring swift and certain accountability for those who harm others, and preventing crime in the first place.