At 17, Joshua Johnson made a decision that sent him to prison and threatened to define the rest of his life—just as hundreds of thousands of people leaving incarceration each year face barriers that can follow them long after their sentences end.
Can we become more than the worst mistake we’ve ever made?
Join We’re Good Podcast co-founder Mary Ellen Chandler for a powerful conversation with Joshua Johnson, author of Released and Redeemed: A Guide to Purpose, Power, and Leadership After Incarceration, recorded at the JFF Horizons Summit, as he reveals what it takes to navigate life after incarceration, overcome stigma, and transform a painful past into purpose.
Johnson was just weeks from high school graduation when, struggling with anger and his parents’ divorce, he committed armed robbery. Sentenced to 20 years in prison, he eventually reached a breaking point after being denied parole. Alone in his cell, staring into a cracked mirror, he made a declaration: no one would ever again dictate his future because of the choices he made.
That moment changed everything.
After serving 10 years, Johnson discovered that reentry after incarceration brings another set of obstacles. A criminal record can close doors to employment, even decades later. Yet one employer gave him a chance—and Johnson went on to build a career spanning construction, workforce development, government, apprenticeship, second-chance hiring, and criminal justice reform.
Today, he helps formerly incarcerated people reclaim what the system too often takes away: the belief that they still have a future.
His story offers a powerful answer: we become more than our worst mistakes when accountability becomes action, opportunity creates possibility, and our past becomes a source of purpose rather than shame.
And when employers and communities embrace fair-chance hiring and recognize the potential of formerly incarcerated people, second chances can strengthen families, expand our workforce, reduce barriers to successful reentry, and create communities where transformation is truly possible.
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