Why I Find the Term "Second Chance" Problematic

Last week, during my keynote at the Stop the Stigma Conference at Southern New Hampshire University, I tackled the problematic narrative of "Second Chances" and the stigmatization that formerly incarcerated people are somehow fundamentally flawed.

Why I believe it’s time for a change 

The word “chance” implies a possibility without specific action or intentionality, meaning that the outcome can be random or, at the very least, left up to the individual being given the chance. The latter seems pretty contradictory, being that all we talk about in this space is how people need the tools, support, and resources for success. Why leave outcomes to chance?

Labeling it as a “second” chance trivializes the ongoing support needed for true reintegration. In my argument’s defense, I once heard someone say, “Folks need 4th, 5th, and 6th chances”, which I get what they’re saying. Still, the notion that someone might only deserve a limited number of chances undermines the continuous love, care, concern, support, and understanding essential to this work. Our commitment should not have a cap; it should be limitless. If you give someone a hundred chances, what happens at 101? No finite numbers, please. People are not disposable no matter what they’ve done or how many times they mess up. 

Moreover, the concept of begging for a "second chance" highlights an uncomfortable power dynamic. It portrays formerly incarcerated individuals in a position where they must plead for opportunities, a scenario far from empowering. Why, as formerly incarcerated people, are we pleading with folks for a chance? We’re walking around with t-shirts, stickers, and pins, saying we need second chances. From who? Even when I felt the need to use chance, it was always, "I just need a chance to prove myself," meaning I longed for the opportunity to demonstrate the skills, abilities, and potential I knew I had--to me, not anyone else. Our worth and potential are not for others to validate. Our paths to success should not be contingent on someone else's approval or concession.

It's time we shift the narrative from one of seeking permission to one of seizing or creating opportunities—opportunities that are structured, supported, and intentional. I’ve felt the desperation that manifests when you’ve been denied job after job, apartment after apartment, being stigmatized and discriminated against through it all. But to directly impacted people: don’t ever feel the need to beg someone for a chance, and definitely not a second one, whether you were 20 years into your career at the time of your commitment or if the system never gave you a first or a fair one. Your success has already been written and assured by someone far greater than the person who presumably holds the power to grant what you’re looking for. 

If you are the least bit interested in being a part of the movement to retire the second chance narrative, write info@ficgn.org with the subject "No More Second Chances" as the subject line. The body of the email can be as long or as short as you'd like (literally, you can write nothing at all). Do share your full name and state, and your email address will be added to a list for future communication regarding this movement.

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