I was in and out of prison until, at age 41, a vocational program put my life on track

Less than 10 years ago, I was serving my third prison sentence. With 14 arrests for drug-related crimes and 16 years of drug addiction under my belt, I felt paralyzed by something so many people tangled in our prison systems feel: hopelessness.

This is an American tragedy — both because it’s reality and because it’s preventable. As the saying goes, “You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. You teach him to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime.” I never learned to fish; no one taught me. I learned to deal drugs and fight. My father did this; my neighbors did this. So, I observed and followed.

Our criminal justice system is failing when recidivism rates are so high. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 68 percent "of 405,000 prisoners released in 30 states in 2005 were arrested for a new crime within three years of their release from prison, and three-quarters (77 percent) were arrested within five years.” I am part of that statistic, but I am also a case study on what works: skills-based education that equips those who have the will to stay out of prison, with a way to support themselves without turning to crime.

Breaking the cycle of recidivism 

We need to put more people in a position to succeed by teaching them to fish. I know this because I experienced it first-hand through a program called Project JumpStart, a pre-apprenticeship construction education program in Baltimore, Maryland. The cycle of repeat incarceration is horrible, but the antidote is clear: A skills-based education that empowers those with the desire to turn away from crime to make good on that commitment.

Read more commentary:

COLUMN:FIRST STEP Act must be a stepping stone to much more aggressive reform

SAINTS LINEBACKER:Get justice for children in the criminal justice system

COLUMN:School discipline is racist enough for black students like me. Arming teachers will make it worse.

At the age of 41, as I was released from my third sentence, I assumed that my criminal path was set in stone and that I would never be able to correct course and make a better life for myself and my family. Project JumpStart gave me that second chance.

This program teaches low-income Baltimore City residents — including many who have been formerly incarcerated — the hard and soft skills they need to enter the construction industry. The 14-week program gave me what I never had: hope.

Every tool I needed to succeed as a construction pre-apprentice was available — not just how to use physical tools but guidance in resume-building, mock interviews, conflict resolution and employer expectations tips. From legal hurdles to transportation issues, Project JumpStart was there to help me. I even learned simple principles like the importance of being on time and envisioning success. On the street, humility is seen as a weakness. In the workplace, it’s a doorway to opportunity.

Vocational programs turned my life around

Eight years later, I am proud to say that I am working as a licensed journeyman electrician on a $3 million construction project alongside five other Project JumpStart graduates. I am drug-free, a homeowner and a proud father. I am active in the lives of my children, two of whom have found their own career paths in construction. The third will be the first in the family to attend college.

These things were unthinkable 10 years ago when I was homeless and addicted. There is no reason others caught up in our failing criminal justice system shouldn’t have access to vocational programs like Project JumpStart that will put them in a position to succeed upon their release.

The good news is that Tuesday night the Senate passed a historic criminal justice reform bill,  the First Step Act, to expand programs like Project JumpStart into federal prisons so inmates can start straightening their paths while serving their time. If the goal of prison is to reform, expanding skills-based education to make success possible for those committed to changing their lives through the First Step Act is a great step.

Make no mistake, these programs do not absolve offenders of our crimes. In many ways, my past still haunts me and, as a former inmate, I accept the consequences of the bad choices I have made. But today, I am living proof that even those at their lowest can make a decision to reverse course, find rehabilitation and become productive members of society. 

I hope our lawmakers in the House of Representatives will recognize my story and pass the First Step Act to give thousands of troubled Americans looking for a better way the greatest gift of all this holiday season — hope.

Tyrone Ferrens is a reformed inmate, a graduate of Project JumpStart in Baltimore, a licensed journeyman electrician and a proud father of three.