Candido went to prison in 1990 for drug trafficking. Over 26 years in Federal Prisons, he cooked for 1500-2500 men. He never expected to see freedom as his sentence was 49 years. In 2016 he was granted clemency by President Obama. Helped by NJ REENTRY CORPS. He now has his own restaurant, which opened in December 2017 in Jersey City.

Read about Candido's restaurant in this NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/nyregion/a-chef-opens-a-restaurant-his-training-decades-in-a-prison-kitchen.html

And be sure to visit Candido's restaurant, El Sabor Del Cafe in Jersey City!

To learn more about the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, visit their website at http://njreentry.org/

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

Rev. Flores was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the U.S. in 2001. He is a graduate of NY Theological Seminary and now heads N.J. Reentry Corporation, which he founded in 2016. The organization serves anyone living in NJ with a criminal background. It has helped 22,000 people who were incarcerated get jobs, obtain training for new jobs,get health care, food stamps, etc.

To learn more about the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, visit their website at http://njreentry.org/

Also check out this uplifting article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/nyregion/a-chef-opens-a-restaurant-his-training-decades-in-a-prison-kitchen.html

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

To find out more about Raphah Institute, please visit their website: https://linktr.ee/raphah_institute

Travis Claybrooks is founder and CEO of Raphah Institute, a nonprofit which helps marginalized communities access essential resources like housing, healthcare, education and economic support. "Raphah" means "to heal". Travis holds a Master of Divinity from Liberty University and is pursuing a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership. He was a police officer in Nashville, TN, is a U.S. Army Veteran and a Restorative Justice Practitioner. He specializes in offering alternatives to prosecution and incarceration for personal violence cases.He is expanding Raphah Institute's Restorative Justice Diversion Initiative with the Memphis/Shelby City, Tennessee District Attorney and community organizations.

Judge Sheila Callowayis from Kentucky and is a graduate of Vanderbilt University. She earned a Juris Doctorate in 1994 after which she worked as a Public Defender. She then became a Juvenile Court Magistrate from 2004-2013, running for Juvenile Court Judge and winning in 2014. She was reelected in 2022. In addition to her role as a judge, she teaches Trial Advocacy at Vanderbilt University Law School. She is also Vice President of the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

Marshall Goldberg is a lawyer and writer. He graduated with honors from Harvard. He clerked for Judge Robert Peckham of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. He has litigated civil rights cases. He moved to Los Angeles in 1979 where he wrote and produced shows such as "The Jeffersons", "Different Strokes", "Newhart" and "L.A. Law". He was Deputy Executive Director for the Writers Guild of America's 11,000 members, becoming a finalist for both the Humanitas Prize and the Writers Guild Award. He taught screenwriting at the University of Southern California film school. He completed a six-part documentary series for MAX called: "Justice USA", beginning work on it in 2013. His goal was to put the audience in the shoes of indigent criminal defendants. It was filmed in Nashville and aired on MAX beginning in March of 2024. He is currently working on his next novel and a documentary on voter suppression.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

To find out more about Raphah Institute, please visit their website: https://linktr.ee/raphah_institute

Travis Claybrooks is founder and CEO of Raphah Institute, a nonprofit which helps marginalized communities access essential resources like housing, healthcare, education and economic support. "Raphah" means "to heal". Travis holds a Master of Divinity from Liberty University and is pursuing a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership. He was a police officer in Nashville, TN, is a U.S. Army Veteran and a Restorative Justice Practitioner. He specializes in offering alternatives to prosecution and incarceration for personal violence cases.He is expanding Raphah Institute's Restorative Justice Diversion Initiative with the Memphis/Shelby City, Tennessee District Attorney and community organizations.

Judge Sheila Callowayis from Kentucky and is a graduate of Vanderbilt University. She earned a Juris Doctorate in 1994 after which she worked as a Public Defender. She then became a Juvenile Court Magistrate from 2004-2013, running for Juvenile Court Judge and winning in 2014. She was reelected in 2022. In addition to her role as a judge, she teaches Trial Advocacy at Vanderbilt University Law School. She is also Vice President of the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

Marshall Goldberg is a lawyer and writer. He graduated with honors from Harvard. He clerked for Judge Robert Peckham of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. He has litigated civil rights cases. He moved to Los Angeles in 1979 where he wrote and produced shows such as "The Jeffersons", "Different Strokes", "Newhart" and "L.A. Law". He was Deputy Executive Director for the Writers Guild of America's 11,000 members, becoming a finalist for both the Humanitas Prize and the Writers Guild Award. He taught screenwriting at the University of Southern California film school. He completed a six-part documentary series for MAX called: "Justice USA", beginning work on it in 2013. His goal was to put the audience in the shoes of indigent criminal defendants. It was filmed in Nashville and aired on MAX beginning in March of 2024. He is currently working on his next novel and a documentary on voter suppression.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

C.J. Rice was born in 1993 in Philadelphia. At the age of 17, he was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. His sentence was 30-60 years. While in prison, he earned his High School diploma in addition to being certified as a brick layer. He also was certified by

OSHA. In 2023, he was released on bail after his Federal Habeas Corpus petition was granted by the Federal Court of the

Eastern District of Pennsylvania and his conviction was vacated. On March 18, 2024 he was exonerated and the

Philadelphia District Attorney's office dropped all charges.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

C.J. Rice was born in 1993 in Philadelphia. At the age of 17, he was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. His sentence was 30-60 years. While in prison, he earned his High School diploma in addition to being certified as a brick layer. He also was certified by

OSHA. In 2023, he was released on bail after his Federal Habeas Corpus petition was granted by the Federal Court of the

Eastern District of Pennsylvania and his conviction was vacated. On March 18, 2024 he was exonerated and the

Philadelphia District Attorney's office dropped all charges.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

Research shows that although 90% of those incarcerated are eventually released, most people will have little to no access to rehabilitative and reentry services.

People with arrest records often return to their communities without the resources and support needed to successfully reintegrate into society. Additionally, in the United States, those with behavioral health conditions are 10 times more likely to end up imprisoned than in the care of a mental health services provider.

The result?

Ongoing cycles of re-arrest and an unprecedented number of people in jails and prisons who are not receiving the care they need to address addiction and mental health conditions.

Today, Harriet chats with Marq Mitchell and Miko Atkinson to learn more about Chainless Change and how they're offering resources to returning citizens.

Marq Mitchell was incarcerated for 7 years as a juvenile and an adult. After his release, he began working with his Ft. Lauderdale community to support returning citizens coming home after spending time in prison where he connected people with job opportunities and apartments to rent. He realized more avenues of support were needed so in 2019, he founded "Chainless Change" aided by a grant from ACLU of Florida. The nonprofit offers resources to help those with a history of addiction, mental health conditions or trauma recover from contact with the criminal

legal system.

Miko Atkinson: Two years in federal prison changed my life forever. Taken away from my family and sent to Texas, I endured one of the most challenging chapters of my life. However, it was not the end of my story; it was a turning point.

After regaining my freedom, I discovered my true purpose and built a new family with my loving wife and our three amazing children. The second chance I received through Chainless Change provided me with the tools and opportunities to transform my life. It ignited a spark within me, empowering me to reclaim my power and live with purpose. Today, I am living proof that redemption and resilience can lead to a brighter future.

To learn more about Chainless Change, visist https://ccifl.org/

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

Research shows that although 90% of those incarcerated are eventually released, most people will have little to no access to rehabilitative and reentry services.

People with arrest records often return to their communities without the resources and support needed to successfully reintegrate into society. Additionally, in the United States, those with behavioral health conditions are 10 times more likely to end up imprisoned than in the care of a mental health services provider.

The result?

Ongoing cycles of re-arrest and an unprecedented number of people in jails and prisons who are not receiving the care they need to address addiction and mental health conditions.

Today, Harriet chats with Marq Mitchell and Miko Atkinson to learn more about Chainless Change and how they're offering resources to returning citizens.

Marq Mitchell was incarcerated for 7 years as a juvenile and an adult. After his release, he began working with his Ft. Lauderdale community to support returning citizens coming home after spending time in prison where he connected people with job opportunities and apartments to rent. He realized more avenues of support were needed so in 2019, he founded "Chainless Change" aided by a grant from ACLU of Florida. The nonprofit offers resources to help those with a history of addiction, mental health conditions or trauma recover from contact with the criminal

legal system.

Miko Atkinson: Two years in federal prison changed my life forever. Taken away from my family and sent to Texas, I endured one of the most challenging chapters of my life. However, it was not the end of my story; it was a turning point.

After regaining my freedom, I discovered my true purpose and built a new family with my loving wife and our three amazing children. The second chance I received through Chainless Change provided me with the tools and opportunities to transform my life. It ignited a spark within me, empowering me to reclaim my power and live with purpose. Today, I am living proof that redemption and resilience can lead to a brighter future.

To learn more about Chainless Change, visist https://ccifl.org/

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.