Through workforce training, education, meaningful employment and transition services, PRI helps prepare individuals for successful reentry and long term success.
The stories below highlight people who transformed opportunity into achievement, building careers, earning degrees and creating positive futures for themselves and their communities.
Eddie Fordham’s journey demonstrates the power of perseverance and lifelong learning. Through years of dedication, he earned a high school diploma, a welding certification and multiple college credentials, including an Associate of Science degree from Miami Dade College. He plans to continue his education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication and public administration.
Fordham views education as more than academic achievement. For him, it represents personal growth, opportunity and a chance to build a better future.
To me, education means more than just textbooks and long hours of studying. To me, it means redemption. I want to show people that, for guys like me, our past is our past. We can move forward as formerly incarcerated men and actually make a difference in society.
Alan Hepfer entered prison at age 16 and later discovered opportunities that would change the course of his life. Through PRI, he developed technical skills, earned Microsoft certifications and gained leadership experience that helped launch a successful career in software development. Today, he is a Microsoft certified senior software developer and team leader at a Fortune 500 company.
The career resource centers not only gave me the skill set, but gave me validation in that skill set to add to the resume.
PRI helped me rediscover my self worth and inspired others in my community to trust and uplift incarcerated men who share those same values. Within weeks of my release, I received reentry support and soon after, I landed a job!
— THOMAS A.,
Former PRI Inmate Worker
PRI’s Transition Program helps participants prepare for life after release by connecting them with resources that support employment, education, housing, transportation and other critical reentry needs. The program is designed to help individuals build stability, overcome barriers and confidently take the next step toward independence and long term success.
By providing practical support and guidance, transition support helps bridge the gap between incarceration and a successful return to the community.
