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By Marlon Chamberlain (Leading with Conviction 2019):
As we begin Second Chance Month, I’ve been reflecting on the language we use.
The truth is, there’s a difference between second chances and fair chances.
Second chances focus on the individual: you messed up, now here’s another opportunity. This matters, but it’s incomplete.
Fair chance is about the system, removing permanent punishments.
My story and that of so many from the South Side of Chicago isn’t just about individual choices; it’s about conditions.
I didn’t grow up without love; both parents were there. But we navigated poverty, addiction, and instability. I remember huddling with my siblings to stay warm when the lights were off. My mother stretched meals, making survival feel like a miracle.
At some point, I grew tired of that reality.
Like many young men, I turned to hustling to provide, making money and chasing something I didn’t fully understand. I got lost in the thrill.
Whenever I was arrested for selling drugs, no one asked why.
What conditions created this?
Why did I keep going back?
It was always the same, lock him up, let him out, repeat.
That’s not accountability; that’s a cycle.
We emphasize restorative justice, which repairs harm. But what if there’s no justice to restore?
What if the conditions people return to created the harm?
That’s where transformational justice comes in.
Second chances and restorative justice respond after harm; fair chances and transformational justice ask us to change conditions to prevent recurrence.
I didn’t need a prison sentence.
I needed guidance, mentorship, structure, opportunity.
That’s what a fair chance looks like.
When you see that picture of me as a child, you’re looking at someone shaped by his environment, not someone destined for prison.
Today, I’m still a go-getter, but my hustle looks different.
Now, I’m organizing, building, and fighting to remove barriers that trap people in cycles.
Fair chance is about the system, removing permanent punishments. It ensures access to housing, jobs, education, and dignity.
As we recognize Second Chance Month, let’s go deeper.
Let’s not just talk about second chances; let’s build systems that guarantee fair ones.
People shouldn’t have to prove they deserve a chance to live. That should be a given.
“We need to stop just pulling people out of the river, we need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” —Desmond Tutu
(Re-posted from LinkedIn by permission.)
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.
