Everything changed for David when he was just 20 years old.
During a difficult time in his life, he was caught in the crosshairs of the criminal legal system. What followed was 18 years of incarceration, years defined not just by time served but by transformation.
He still remembers his first phone call inside: learning that his partner was expecting a child.
In that moment, everything shifted.
“I spent so much time thinking about my son. About whether or not I would ever come home,” he says. “Becoming a father gave me something to hold onto. It gave me purpose.”
As a teenager, David had been shaped by his environment. But inside, he began to reshape himself. At first, survival came first, staying safe and staying aware. But over time, something deeper took hold: education.
Through partnerships like the Prison Scholar Fund, David pursued his bachelor’s degree while incarcerated. What started as an opportunity became a responsibility. To himself, his family, and to the future he still believed was possible.
“Education gave me something to work toward. It shifted my mindset from just surviving to actually building something.”
He stepped into leadership roles, becoming a mentor and a source of guidance for others entering the system. He built community, even in a place not designed for it., and he never lost sight of why he started.
When David returned home, he carried more than a record. He carried years of growth, discipline, and hard-earned skills. But like so many others, he also carried the weight of the stigma.
“The biggest challenge is the assumption that you’re defined by your worst mistake. People don’t see the complexity of your life or the work you’ve done to change. They don’t see the resilience, the adaptability, the problem-solving skills that are actually valuable.”
That assumption doesn’t just affect perception; it shapes access. To jobs. To opportunity. To stability.
It’s why David is so passionate about changing the criminal legal system.
Today, David has a successful career and serves as a board director for Civil Survival, an organization he credits with helping shift not just policies but possibilities for community.
“Civil Survival has made a meaningful impact in my life and in so many others. They’re not just providing legal services, they’re breaking down systemic barriers, building community, and pushing for policy change that actually helps people succeed.”
That impact is especially felt when it comes to voting rights. For David, regaining the right to vote was transformative.
“I was out for almost a year before I even knew I could vote. And when I did, it meant everything. I pay taxes. I’m part of this community. I should have a say.”
Today, that process is more transparent. People are informed before they’re even released. But David knows firsthand how critical that access is.
“It’s not just a right–it’s a responsibility,” he says. “Voting means I can advocate for my family, my community, and the issues that affect us. It means I’m recognized as a contributing member of society.”
He points to Civil Survival’s leadership in making that happen: the education, the outreach, the advocacy, and the collaboration that restored that access for so many.
David doesn’t hesitate to name what needs to change, calling for sentencing reform that recognizes growth and the possibility of transformation.
“When you give someone a long sentence with no opportunity for review, you’re not recognizing the change that can happen within a person. There are people who have done the work, who have healed, who have changed, and the system doesn’t always acknowledge that.”
David’s experience with incarceration, with education, with access to voting, with reentering community means knows how important it is to be a part of something, of a community, and a family. His son is his guiding light, his driving force from the beginning.
“When you become a parent, everything changes. Your child becomes your priority.” He continues, “I look forward to the day my son can look back and say. ‘My dad did all of this for me.’” I want him to see that transformation is real. That redemption is possible.”
David knows not everyone will take the same path he did.
But he also knows what’s possible when people are given the tools – education, mentorship, and opportunities – to rebuild their lives.
“When people like me are given a chance, we show up,” he says. “We lead. We contribute. We build.”
And he adds, even changing one life is enough to change everything.
Because behind every statistic, every policy, every assumption are real people. Real families. Real futures still waiting to be realized.
And when those futures are given a chance, they transform individual lives and strengthen entire communities.
David – thank you for sharing your story and being a partner in this work.