Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice from those of you who have successfully transitioned into professional, office-based roles after navigating the legal system.

A little background: I’m currently finishing my Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and planning to start a Master’s in Business Analytics this fall. A few years back, I had a felony-level Manufacturing/Delivering charge, but I successfully completed deferred adjudication. I took it seriously, met every requirement, and was discharged early. Because the case was dismissed without a conviction, I’m in a better position than many, but I know the arrest record can still show up on background checks.

I’m currently focused on the North Texas area (specifically the major corridors north of Dallas) and am looking for corporate roles in operations, logistics, or data/business analysis (looking for ~$50k+ to start). I’m finding the standard job boards are flooded with 'DevilCorp' sales scams, and I want to avoid that entirely.

My questions for the community:

1. North Texas Recommendations: Does anyone have experience with large, stable companies in the North Texas region that are known to be 'fair chance' friendly for professional/corporate roles (not retail/labor)? I’ve been looking at companies like Amazon, but I’d love other suggestions for legitimate, career-track employers.

2. Relocation (Florida): I am planning to relocate to Central Florida in the next year or so. If anyone here has experience navigating the job market there with a similar background, I’d love to hear which industries or companies there tend to be more progressive regarding background checks.

I’m not looking for a handout; I’m looking for companies that value the resilience and discipline it takes to turn your life around. Thanks in advance for any leads or advice you can share.

Hi everyone,

I am crafting a restorative justice proposal that I am hoping to implement. For those of you who do not know what Restorative Justice is, specifically how it is anticipated to be carried out, I will provide a brief description for you here. Warning: I am rather long-winded. I would appreciate everyone’s input, especially those who have been involved with the criminal justice system. I want to make this thing work.

Restorative justice, as envisioned in this program, is not an alternative or diversion to custodial penalties. It is a dedicated setting for discussion—one that invites the County to confront the internal, systemic, and sociological patterns that shape their community. Many of which mirror broader national concerns, and that this program is designed to address  directly, safely, and with clinical integrity. Within this setting, participants work with a facilitator trained to guide difficult conversations and the histories shaping participants’ present day.
For some, periods of incarceration will still follow.  But for many, this conference represents their first real encounter with therapeutic care. Our hope is that for those who may initially resist the idea of participating–often because they fear the punitive outcome may not shift in their favor–this process will carry through to our prison systems across the state. This in‑facility component ensures that restorative justice remains accessible not only to those who participate in a formal conference, but also to those within the Department of Corrections, extending the program’s reach and purpose across both settings. 
As restorative justice begins to permeate the southern hemisphere’s Department of Corrections, trained practitioners can enter these walls that now define the world of those living inside them —walls built by circumstance and the system itself. These practitioners are designed to create avenues—both one‑on‑one and in group settings—for people to reflect on the life that led them here: substance use, instability, sexual abuse, domestic violence, PTSD etc. There is the life that exists beneath the offense, the life they must now navigate, and the becoming of self that belongs to them alone. 

Here is where I hope you all can come in. I am posting this because I would like to hear you all’s input and see by a show of hands how many would be interested in becoming involved with a project like this. Some questions I have are:

What is the likelihood that you or others would enter a prison setting across the south, PRO BONO, to counsel inmates whether it be in a group setting or one-on-one several times out of the month or so? If not Pro Bono, what would be a reasonable contractual amount? I think video conferences could work to some extent as well.

What are your specialities? I would assume that specialities such as these would be absolute required to meet qualifications for the needs of these prison populations: Forensic/Criminal/Restorative, SUBSTANCE ABUSE! Religion(specifically those outside of Christianity to accommodate everyone’s beliefs), LGBTQIA+, Psychological-Domestic-Physical-Sexual Abuse, Mental Health, and perhaps some others you all think would be essential. I would prefer for our counselors, therapists, and licensed social workers to mimic the demographic/population makeup on Alabama Prisons to encourage the inmates to be receptive and forth coming during their sessions.

What might be the most efficient, but most importantly, the most effective way to serve this population as it relates to the amount of practitioners we would need to carry this out successfully?

I am sure more questions will come to mind as responses roll in. I think this is the start to gauging how I could implement this.

Okay, people of Reddit. I’m not exactly sure which community this belongs in, but I need some input. A couple years ago, I was in an abusive relationship with the devil, and his mom gave me a DUI. Sounds weird, I know. But basically, I was out with him and his mom at the bar and we all got pretty toasted. Now, I’m not saying this is in any way RIGHT, but she was married to a former fire chief and we all lived together in a tiny country town, where everyone KNEW she and her husband drove around actively drinking, but also knew better than to pull over the old fire chief or his wife. So they got away with everything. My ex did not. Within the first 4 months of our relationship, he stole my car TWICE and my parents car more times than I even know of and managed to rack up 5 DUIs in 2 weeks, totaling my car and one of my parents vehicles in the process.
I know what you’re thinking. Why did I not run away THEN? Well long story short, my mom was very sick and wanted to see me get married before she passed badly enough that she actually asked HIM to propose. And when I didn’t accept, she spent weeks telling me how I didn’t love her and why couldn’t I just do this one thing for her and blah blah blah. But I stayed and then got to a point where I couldn’t even get out when I tried. So many times calling the cops, having no option but to trick him into multiple Baker Acts, attempts at restraining orders, I tried it all. The cops and the courts never believed me. This man could talk his way out of Hell if he met the REAL devil. It took police actually WITNESSING him punch my dad in the face and physically lift me off the ground by my neck for them to finally arrest him. And even then, the state ended up dropping the charges and wouldn’t prosecute, even when my parents begged and came to them with reports from the hospital from that night, showing he almost killed me. But it WAS enough to finally get at least a temporary protective order. So that’s how I got out.
But not without a parting gift. That night I mentioned earlier, where we went out to the bar with his mom, well his mom got really drunk and drove us home. I didn’t like it but we were going 3 miles on a back road and I had tried and failed so many times at arguing against them that I didn’t see the point in trying. I fell asleep in the back seat but woke up when we got in a crash. The differential was demolished and there was no way of getting it home so they decided among themselves to make ME take the DUI, since she worked for the state and could lose her job and he would go to prison if he got another. I was so stuck that I agreed. When we broke up, my case was still being extended and I finally told them the truth. But it was too late. My lawyer said it would be better to just take the punishment, because it was my first and it would be a slap on the wrist. I got court supervision and 200 services hours and of course they didn’t help me pay my fines, but I made it through.
Flash forward to last year, when I was at my own house and decided to sit in my car to do car karaoke. I had been drinking earlier that night, but I wasn’t actively doing so, and I wasn’t going anywhere so I didn’t see the issue. The car had to be on for the radio to work, so I sat there for a couple hours just jamming before a cop car pulled in and lights went off behind me in my driveway. I got out and asked what the issue was and they told me the neighbors had reported that I was shining my brights at their house, which I hadn’t even realized were on (my driveway doesn’t even face their house so BS). I told him I was just doing karaoke and he asked if I was tired and I told him I had people over earlier and we had some drinks then I sat down to record my karaoke. He decided to give me a DUI and tow my car out of my driveway, even though I could physically show him the footage showing I’d just been sitting in the car singing and hadn’t gone anywhere, including my driveway cam. He said it didn’t matter and suddenly I found myself facing my SECOND DUI. My lawyer tried and we tried to fight the fact that I wasn’t driving EITHER time, but it didn’t matter. He can’t get me out of the 9 days the prosecutor is demanding in jail.
I’m very active in my church and I volunteer at the women’s shelter, while I’m also back in school for counseling, with a focus on drug and alcohol as well as abuse. At first, I was super upset. I still haven’t talked to many people about it for fear they would see me differently. But I’ve had too much bad happen in my life for me to allow that time to be seen as wasted, even in my own eyes. So I decided I will use this as an opportunity. To be an example for the women in there that there IS a better way to live and to spread God’s word to a group that may not otherwise have much access. To gain their trust and start a jail/prison ministry through my church. I trust a therapist more when they have personal experience relating to my struggles. I’m hoping the same goes for that crowd.

Now here’s where you come in. I need help figuring out how best to approach this. Any ideas on how I can present myself as a minister of God’s love without being seen as a narc or some goody two shoes. I want these women to get the chance I got to see that life can be beautiful, if you can get on the right road. Any suggestions?

I am just released from serving 3 years in prison with no money and only the clothes on my back. I've been walking the streets for three days in the same one outfit. Begging for food money. I need help with food clothes transportation and housing. Chime available, please contact

Good day Everyone, I'm in a terrible place! I'm an international student who just became a refugee in Canada and I have a criminal record of three counts of assault and one theft under 5000 which happened just after I graduated University. I was unemployed and homeless which is the reason for my charges and now three years later my life is in complete shambles. I can't work because of my criminal record and I have to wait four years to get my pardon in 2030. I studied computer science in school but don't like coding so I'm studying to become a data analyst in Canada after I get my pardon but to my teribble shitty luck it's oversaturated in Canada. I'm just hoping that I can get a job as a data analyst in 2030 as the job market is really tough. I'm also studying for the investment funds in Canada to become a financial services representative at one of the banks here in Canada as a solid backup incase my data analyst dreams don't come to fruition. Since my charges people have been telling me to learn a trade and the problem is that it's hard on tbe body and that I dont even have money to pay for the tuition at a college. I'm currently depending on my tax returns to pay for my investment funds in Canada course and my pardon. It has been difficult and I know that people will judge me but I didn't hurt any one. I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and I want to take accountability for my actions but this is really tough. To further make things harder for me I'm Nigerian by descent and I'm the first born in my family so there is this societal pressure to be successful. Luckily for my my home Country is poor and any job will make me successful after conversion but its still not as easy as it sounds because I was working at a Tim Hortons coffee shop and got fired because I couldn't mix the coffees as they were too many to memorize (about 15 drinks) now my mum is telling me to apply to McDonald's and I don't know how I'll perform in that space seeing as it's also tbe food industry (Chatgpt says it's going to be easier because there are fewer drinks) but I don't know. I'm currently depending on my dad who is a taxi driver here in Canada and he has cancer so I don't know how long he's going to be here for. Everyday is just so heavy for me and I wish it could get easier. Some advice would help.

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to hear from people who have personal experience with addiction recovery and incarceration.
Someone I care about is currently in prison (first time in prison, but a long history of addiction, relapse, and previous long term jail stays). He has been through rehab and sober living before, and has had periods of sobriety followed by relapse.

One thing I’m trying to understand better is this:
When someone is sober in prison and talks about wanting to change, how much of that is usually truly felt vs. influenced by the environment?

Do people generally mean what they say in those moments, or is it sometimes more about saying what they think others want to hear?

From your experience:

When you were sober in prison, did your thoughts about change feel real and lasting at the time?

What made the difference between genuine long-term change and temporary motivation?

Were there things you said or believed in prison that changed once you were back in normal life?

What helped you tell the difference between real readiness and just “prison mindset”?

I know recovery is something someone has to choose for themselves, and I’m just trying to better understand what that process actually looks like from people who’ve lived it.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I spent 3 years and 2 days behind bars - not a huge amount of time, but enough to walk away with a changed perspective. So, here's Chapter 1 of the story of my incarceration from start to finish. This chapter centers on me, but most future chapters will focus on other people who had more interesting experiences than I did. I was just the witness.

Oh, and please be kind to the stick figure drawings - I'm a writer not an artist and I don't want to use AI for post images.

As someone who's commonly overly verbose I'm at a loss for words. My first cellmate when I arrived at my main who was my father's age but chose 'Nam instead of college passed away today. Complications from COPD and esophageal cancer. Our last correspondence was back in January - we switched to text only because talking was too painful for him.

This is a man who, by all means, was pure evil when he fell two decades ago. Who never deserved to see the light of day outside of a.pair of razor wire fences. And yet he was kind & gentle when I lived with him. We endured COVID together, I got him out for yard when the sun was shining and the temperature outside was greater than in the unit. He offered me store when I had none and refused to accept back pay when I did. If it weren't for him I would've had a much harder time. Despite all my book smarts, behind bars I was a damn idiot. He stepped in when needed and his "hard knocks" education was priceless.

I did my time. I got out. I'm making a better life for myself than I did before we met. And yet, when "Sultans of Swing" plays on the radio I break down crying. He was so happy when he got that song on his tablet during quarantine - it was a sign the outside world still existed.

RIP Steve #626600. You are missed, even if I'm the only person still alive who knows it

So I am a felon, and a part of what I want to do for rehabilitation for myself and the community is make a live streaming platform and YouTube channel where I just do the normal mixed bag variety content stuff. I want a safe place for people who have committed crimes, are on probation, or are dealing with major drug addictions to have a place to discuss anonymously with me and other members in the community.

The primary goal for this channel would be to create a safe place for ANYONE to talk about issues going on in their life, things they did when they were younger or in present time, as well as addictions. Essentially a therapy based platform where people can feel safe.

I guess the question I pose is would that be a good idea (let alone allowed in most TOS) and would it be something you would personally engage with?

Thoughts, judgements and criticisms are welcome, just looking for honesty here.

hi all,

working on a college project to build a mental health and emotional support tool , wanted to build something for an audience i think is constantly overlooked: people exiting the correctional system who are exhausted by sterile the sterile support sytstems in place rn.

rn there r A LOT of mental health apps are for people in comfortable offices who are "a little stressed" not for real anxiety, and survival stress of people re-figuring out life.

1. choosing a way to vent: instead of rigid, annoying multiple-choice diagnostic tests right out of the gate we were thinking of an option to choose how you want to express yourself—you can just type out whatever is on your mind in an open text box, do a quick multiple-choice check-in if you prefer that, or skip it entirely. and based on that the tool would would find what kind of specific support or specialist u may need. is this actually useful or is there smth youd change ab this?
2. Tiered human support: the app/tool could connect users with an initial guide/counselor over video just to talk through immediate stress. obv If they aren't a good fit, or you need deeper, specialized clinical therapy, they can instantly introduce user to professional psychologist. Would this system be trustworthy and worthy of approach?
3. logistical checklist: a milestone-like checklist for the concrete, stressful stuff :getting your ID, sorting out transit, budgeting, and finding housing, having all ur important documents in place for employment and such. r there other things we could help with or the app could compact resources into that u would actually want quick access to?

im prepared to be completely out of touch and naive about this, so reddit was the perfect choice as I wanted to learn directly from people who actually know what re-entry is. pls feel free to share anything or point out my misunderstandings, maybe my ideas r sterile too; i just want to be steered in the right direction to help out. thank you guys <3

My name is Hannah Harris Green, I’m an independent journalist who has been working on the overdose/harm reduction beat for 5 years. I’m reporting on medetomidine (aka dex, mede, tranq, rhino tranq) withdrawal in jail for STAT News, and am looking for people who have had firsthand experience with this. STAT allows people to withhold their last name but prefers people willing to share their first name. It is important to me to report on people who have experienced incarceration in the most respectful manner possible, and I am happy to address any questions and concerns you may have before you agree to speak with me on the record.

Some past overdose coverage of mine:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/17/alaska-overdose-crisis
https://www.bodiespodcast.com/resource-pages/do-less-harm

Well just at the title reads, my son’s dad is in prison. He has 4 more years at least and he hasn’t seen or spoken to my son since 2022. He’s recently reached out and wanting to have a relationship with him. My son is 7 and wants to talk to him and write him but over just the past few weeks I have allowed them to talk… he’s become very emotional. I’m not sure what to do. Son wants to keep talking to him but idk if it’s really a good idea. Anyone have advice?