Austin Morreale details his work at NeighborCorps, a reentry program that assists people transitioning from Middlesex County Jail. Austin discusses the highs and the lows of his line of work, and advocates for a holistic approach to assisting those seeking help with reentry.
Austin is also featured in the oral history archive for an interview he gave for the Trueselves project. To read a more detailed discussion of his experiences as a transgender man, please refer to his October 5, 2017 interview.
Read MoreNorth Brunswick resident Josh Green describes both the challenges and the opportunities that have emerged for him throughout his reentry process during a worldwide pandemic. Josh remains hopeful for what the future holds for him and his community.
Read MoreA Highland Park resident, who has been through the reentry process, describes how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their job security. They also detail the importance of spending time with their family.
Read MoreCurtis McNair is the head chef and manager at Elijah’s Promise Kitchen. He is responsible for cooking the meals and making sure that all of their guests eat.
Read MoreAntonne Henshaw was recently accepted to Rutgers-Camden for graduate school. He discusses the struggles of his early childhood and selling drugs by the time he was in middle school. Antonne was incarcerated for thirty years. During this time, he was involved in the creation of NJSTEP.
Read MoreGrowing up, Ron Pierce was taught the importance of voting and voted in every election that he could up until 1986 when was arrested. Ron believes that voting is a way to further democracy and help one’s community. He is a Democracy and Justice Fellow for the New Jersey Institute of Social Justice. He is working on getting voting rights restored for individuals on parole.
Read MoreMark Hopkins experiences with the justice system started when he was a child. He discusses growing up in Camden, as well as the experience of being on parole. He is a dedicated organizer, who is actively involved in the NJ STEP program.
Read MoreNew Brunswick resident John Pollard has struggled to find employment and housing due to systemic discrimination against formerly incarcerated people.
Read MoreChristopher Etienne was incarcerated as a young man. He later earned two undergraduate degrees from Rutgers and his master’s from Columbia.
Read MoreProspect Park resident Mohammad Chowdhury graduated from Rutgers and has significant student loan debt. He works as a business analyst and was previously unemployed for a year.
Read MoreFormerly the executive assistant to the president and CEO of a nonprofit, Damica was incarcerated for seven months and lost her job and all of her savings. After her release, it took her four months to find a new job.
Read MorePaul Burucelli has been in and out of the prison system and has experienced homelessness. He has graduated culinary school and now works in social services.
Read MoreWalter Herres recounts how he ended up in the prison system after growing up in a middle-class, suburban home. He narrates the strategies he has used to survive homelessness.
Read MoreAlexandra survived a brutal sexual assault at a young age and was placed in detention centers and shelters after she ran away multiple times.
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