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For years, the justice reform movement has rallied around the idea of “second chances.” That language helped bring attention to the reality that people returning home from incarceration deserve opportunities to rebuild their lives. It helped open conversations about employment, housing, and community reintegration. But as the movement has grown, so has our understanding that the phrase “second chance” can unintentionally limit the very progress we are trying to make. Second chances focus on the individual. Fair chances focus on the system.
At JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA), we believe it is time to expand the conversation.
The idea of a second chance suggests that opportunity is something that must be granted after someone has proven they deserve it. It frames access to jobs, housing, education, and stability as a form of forgiveness or mercy. While that framing may have helped start the conversation, it can also reinforce stigma by implying that people with records have already used up their opportunity and must now seek redemption.
What people truly need is not charity; it’s fairness.
A fair chance shifts the focus away from judgment and toward systems that provide equitable access to opportunity. It recognizes that once someone has served their time, barriers that permanently shut people out of employment, housing, and opportunity do not strengthen communities they weaken them. Fairness means ensuring that policies, practices, and perceptions do not continue to punish people long after their formal accountability has ended.
This shift in language matters, because language shapes policy, public opinion, and ultimately the systems that determine whether people can move forward with their lives.
A fair chance recognizes the humanity and potential in every individual. It acknowledges that people are more than the worst decision they have ever made, and that communities are stronger when individuals are able to work, support their families, and contribute meaningfully to society.
As we continue to advance policies and practices that remove barriers to opportunity, JLUSA is advancing a shift in the national conversation from second chances to fair chances.
Because the real question is not whether someone deserves another chance.
The real question is whether our systems are built to provide a fair one.
As we continue working toward systems that open doors instead of closing them, JLUSA is inviting partners, advocates, employers, and community leaders to join us in expanding the conversation from second chances to fair chances.
This April, as many across the country recognize Second Chance Month, we will also be lifting up the concept of Fair Chance Month, a time to focus not only on redemption, but on building systems that ensure everyone has equitable access to opportunity.
We invite organizations, advocates, employers, and policymakers to join us in this shift by:
Because when systems create fair chances, communities become stronger for everyone.
Onward,
DeAnna Hoskins
Founder, JustUS Coordinating Council
President & CEO, JustleadershipUSA
Thank you so much for supporting our mission here at JLUSA! Your donation helps to support our network of leaders working to dismantle oppressive systems and uplift people and families impacted by mass incarceration across the country.
All charitable donations made to JLUSA are fully tax deductible, as allowable by the IRS.
