One Book Panel Explores Life after Incarceration
The term mass incarceration refers to the unique way the U.S. has locked up a vast population in federal and state prisons, as well as local jails. On Oct. 9, 2019, the One Book Program brought in three formerly incarcerated individuals to sit upon a panel to explain their trials and tribulations of life after incarceration. Carl Brown, The Fountain Fund client relations manager, was the moderator. The other men, Eddie Harris, Duane Washington and Richard Koonce, were all former offenders that are now doing well for themselves.
Carl Brown went on to explain that it would be helpful to know the “old Jim Crow” before reading The New Jim Crow. “This being that drugs were brought into society at this time.” Brown also said, “ It was intriguing to grow up during the times of segregation.” Brown likes to use the analogy that support and failure are one in the same because one has anxiety asking for support and that same person has even more anxiety when they fail. Anxiety is their way of handling situations good or bad.
Eddie Harris was the first panelist to explain his personal situation of how he was introduced into the life of crime and how he came out of it. Harris became rebellious when he was around 8 or 9 years old by selling drugs. Now Harris is a part of Ready Kids, which is a non-profit organization that helps children get out of the life of crime by learning to be effective in many ways. Harris is also the CEO of Vinegar Hill Vintage clothing line and Vinegar Hill Magazine. Without the support of a lifelong friend, Carl Brown, he would not be where he is now.
Duane Washington, the third panelist to speak, became defiant in the 1980’s by selling drugs to support his family because his father was absent. While Washington was incarcerated, he found a faith-based program to start his journey of turning around his life. Washington is now a part of The Fountain Fund and Ready Kids, but also owns his own small trucking company which he achieved in less than nine months. Although it took Washington a long time to find a path within life, he takes time out of his busy schedule to help spread the message of it being possible to make something of yourself after incarceration.
Richard Koonce was the last panelist to speak on his rehabilitation after prison. At the age of 15, Koonce began his life in and out of the prison system during a 17 year time frame. He realized after getting sentenced to 60 months in 2014 his reasoning is “the misinformation on the inside of those gates is in abundance.” During this same year, Koonce decided to go on a fact finding mission to get the information that he needed to turn his life around. After Koonce got out of this time in prison, he became a Virginia State Certified Peer Support Specialist in Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail (ACRJ). Now Koonce is teaching offenders how to make something out of nothing. All of these men have interesting stories of getting turned around in life. To understand more of what these men and other prisoners go through, please read this year’s One Book program selection The New Jim Crow.
