Prison to Promise

THANK YOU: Season 1 Conclusion

What’s up yall?
I am Dr. Craig Waleed. Your host, here on the Prison to Promise Podcast.
March 31, 2023, marked the end of the first year of the Prison to Promise Podcast and the conclusion of Season 1.
I want to send a special thank you to each of the past guests who trusted me with their stories and graciously shared their experiences with our listeners. Also, thanks to the Prison to Promise podcast listeners for your support.
With every interview this past year on the Prison to Promise Podcast, I met some fantastic men and women with inspirational and informative stories. By collecting these stories and sharing them with you, the listeners, I hope to help illustrate that despite life’s setbacks and poor decisions, you can bounce back and bounce back stronger than you’ve ever been.
Stay tuned for Season 2 of the Prison to Promise Podcast.

James Smith: Change Within Your Reach Ep. 53

When James Smith got out of prison in 2016, he was lost. Nobody returned his call when he reached out for help from a re-entry program. So instead, his sister, wife, and church members coached him through the changes he wanted."I felt ashamed if I went someplace," he said. "I felt like people would look at me and see a criminal, even if they didn't know me. So it's a miracle really to come out of it."Today, James works as a Community Inclusion Specialist for the Alliance of Disability Advocates NC, helping other men rejoin the community after incarceration. For example, he talks with them about getting a job and dealing with mental pressure."Guys don't go to interviews because they don't feel prepared," he said. "They need encouragement, mock interviews… a step-by-step of how it's going to go." Tune in as James talks about how he transitioned and some of the keys to helping others.

Joshua Boyer: The Sting Couldn’t Stop Him Ep. 52

Joshua Boyer was essentially sentenced to twenty-four years in prison for conversing about committing a robbery. While incarcerated, he determined he would learn everything he could about the law to help unlock the legal puzzle that resulted in his incarceration. Boyer spent a lot of time in the law library, learning the ins and outs of the law. Eventually, he earned a reputation as a jailhouse lawyer who could help write briefs or advise on cases. After applying for clemency, Joshua Boyer was released from prison in 2017 after serving 16 years.

Paul Campiche: More Than Gold Ep. 51

Right off the muscle, Paul Campiche lets me know he recognizes his affluence, whiteness, and gender as an advantage in this world. But, as Paul told me, "I need to do something more than just be privileged; I need to [help] make [a] change."Paul Campiche is a formerly incarcerated individual with a background in connecting individuals with re-entry services, such as housing, food, education, jobs, and other services. Paul's background is in Psychology, Crisis Management, and Case Management; he has worked with homeless individuals and individuals in recovery or active drug use. Tune in as Paul talks with me about how his academic achievements helped him develop emotional awareness, which led him to begin thinking about what wasn't working in his life, how to realign his life, and to stay out of prison. Today, Paul is giving back to other formerly incarcerated people as a mental health care provider by helping them access services and employment.

Joe Arvidson: Desistance Ep. 50

Joseph Arvidson is the Executive Director of The Paragon Group, LLC.The Paragon Group strives to promote and advance evidence-based practices in criminal justice. Their services include speaking engagements, training, and consulting on risk needs responsivity (RNR) and desistance-based models. Joseph’s training and consulting clientele have ranged from Federal Probation to local for-profit and non-profit agencies and international training and consulting. Additionally, he is the founder of The Criminologist Media Group, serving as producer and host of The Criminologists podcast. Joseph Arvidson has been an adjunct faculty member at Concordia University and Metropolitan State University since 2000, where he teaches several graduate and undergraduate-level Criminal Justice courses. He currently serves on the Criminal Justice Advisory Board for Concordia University. He also serves as a board member for Volunteers in Corrections.

Keenan Hudson: A Determined Mindset Ep. 49

After being certified as an adult at fifteen years old and incarcerated for nearly fifteen years, Keenan Hudson positively transformed his life. While incarcerated, he took full advantage of educational services and self-development opportunities and persevered using lessons learned through education, religion, and music. Tune in as Keenen talks about how, despite experiencing several adverse childhood experiences and facing a 12 1/2-to-25-year sentence at the age of 15, he learned that by developing a determined mindset, he could change the trajectory of his future.

Travis Abercrombie: Resurgence in the Making Ep. 48

Travis Abercrombie resides in South Carolina and is the founder of the Resurgence Post-Conviction Rehabilitation Program, which aims to positively influence and rehab the minds of men, women, and children affected by mass incarceration. Travis is an author (The Four Levels of Reintegration), teacher, curriculum developer, and motivational speaker with 10+ years of experience helping people impacted by mass incarceration succeed inside and outside prison.While doing a ten-year prison sentence, Travis was influenced by the teachings of two other incarcerated men (Lester Young and Lee Nelson) to know one's self, how to communicate with others appropriately, and to understand one of the human beings' most extraordinary powers, which is the power of choice.You can't afford to miss this conversation where Travis repeatedly describes the influence one's thinking has on their reality and outcomes. 

Barry Diamond: Joy Ep. 47

Barry Diamond was the owner of a successful 30-year-old business consulting company. Barry also started the Chamber of Commerce, was on the board of the Economic Development Commission, the Vice President of his town's Tax Abatement Commission, President of his town's Library Foundation, and the President-Elect of the Better Business Bureau of the State of Connecticut. All that ended when he was convicted of a non-violent white-collar crime and sentenced to 6 years in prison.One day he was having lunch with Mayors and state representatives, and the next day lunch with murderers, rapists, child molesters, and bank robbers.Barry is currently an active member of the Reentry Roundtables, HangTime, and operates the reentrysurvivors.com website. For ten years, he has taught the first Reentry Entrepreneurial course (called P.R.I.D.E.) and Financial Literacy Workshops (called FLOW), endorsed by Congressmen, Governors, DOC Commissioners, and Mayors. These FREE training programs are exclusively for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and family or friends of people with a criminal background.

Peter Armstrong:I Came Up Out of the Dirt: You Can Do it Too Ep. 46

Peter Felix Armstrong is a third-year law student at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a criminal appellate paralegal. While in prison for a fatal car crash, Armstrong discovered a new purpose in the law. He spent his time behind bars as a law clerk advocating for other incarcerated men. Released in 2019, admitted to law school in 2020, and set to graduate in 2023, Armstrong seeks to find his place and be a force for meaningful change for the still-incarcerated and those coming out of incarceration.

Anthony Boyd: 18 Years and Some Change Ep. 45

Anthony has first-hand experience with the criminal legal system; he spent 23 years in prison. Today, along with being a Certified Life Coach, Anthony is also the Managing Director of IMPAPACT, an initiative of RestoreHER.us. He is passionate about improving the treatment of incarcerated people and what needs improvement for returning citizens to be productive and sustain long-lasting success. Anthony is currently involved with several groups that address mass incarceration, such as the Re-entry Coaching Academy; Project PEACE; Washington Parks Academy Boys Mentoring; and Prosper Us Recovery Park.Anthony also served as President of the National Lifers of America Chapter 125 and as an advocate for restorative justice, as a team leader, and as a mediation coach. In addition, Anthony briefly served as a board member for the Chance for Life Organization. He firmly believes he has a responsibility and a vested interest in the health and safety of our communities.