“By the grace of God, I allow myself to excel in a world where I thought I would never be free,” says Arthur. “It’s surreal waking up next to my wife, being a great-grandfather, and being a valued employee and human in a community.”
After spending four decades behind bars, Arthur is now living a life he once thought was impossible – one filled with freedom and hope. Released from incarceration just eight months ago, Arthur says that because of support from organizations like the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and the unwavering love of his wife of 45 years, he now has a fair chance at a good life.
Arthur’s childhood in Texas was marked by poverty, trauma, alcoholism, and domestic violence. When he was only five, he witnessed his abusive dad shoot his mother in the abdomen; she survived, but the next day she and the kids boarded a bus to Los Angeles, California, to move in with relatives.
Despite being dyslexic, Arthur graduated from high school and community college, earning the latter through a track scholarship. But without a diagnosis or support for his learning challenges, he remained illiterate well into adulthood.
“I was lost,” Arthur says. “I didn’t know how to read. I didn’t know who I was. I had my first son at 14 years old and was just trying to survive.”
Arthur started to use drugs as a way to cope, but that eventually led to committing crimes to support his habit. His life path took a devastating turn when he was given a life sentence at only 26.
“I needed to change things about myself while I was incarcerated,” says Arthur. “I took every trade class they offered, studied self-help books, and tried to turn a horrible experience into a positive existence.”
Prison didn’t break Arthur. Instead, he used those 42 years to reflect, grow, and become a better man.
Then, an unexpected turn of events happened: Arthur’s wife filed a motion for a resentencing hearing, and a judge, seeing his transformation, agreed to reduce Arthur’s sentence. After serving four decades behind bars, Arthur walked out of prison a free man.
“I never thought I was going to leave there,” says Arthur. “I had mixed emotions because I was excited to go home and be with my family, but I was worried about how I was going to transition into the world.”
The likelihood of an older, formerly incarcerated person returning to prison is low – the recidivism rate is less than half that of individuals under the age of 50. The biggest hurdle facing someone who walks out of prison is typically housing, employment, or both. But Arthur was determined to work.
“I found out about the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) in Los Angeles when I saw their office one day and walked in. The timing was perfect because I was having a hard time getting a good job,” says Arthur. “I did the safety training and they gave me work clothes and boots, bus tokens, personal protection equipment, and even a business suit for future job interviews.”
So many things had changed since Arther was incarcerated in his twenties; he had never filled out a job application online, used a credit card tap, or seen a smartphone. The sexagenarian credits his wife and his job coach at CEO for helping him navigate the brave new world he walked into after 40 years away.
“CEO was the first one to give me a chance,” Arthur says. “They put me on a transition work crew, beautifying the freeways and recycling. I did this for about four months because I really enjoyed the job.”
During that time, Arthur was assigned a job coach with whom he met weekly to train in resume building, perform mock interviews, and use job search sites. He says that getting support from his job coach was crucial in his process of returning to the workforce.
In no time, Arthur was hired by a reputable cleaning service to maintain the Metro Station in Los Angeles. It was a perfect job for the congenial grandfather. Arthur shows up for work 15 minutes early, smiles at all the passerbys, and is grateful for the things he has in life – and it shows.
“My supervisor handed me a piece of paper the other day during my shift and told me to read it out loud, in front of some co-workers nearby,” Arthur says. “I didn’t know what to think, so I just read it.”
This commendation is presented to Arthur for going the extra mile,
having a positive attitude, and for punctuality.
“I’ve always had a good work ethic, but CEO was able to push me to be my best and supported me without hesitation,” Arthur says. “For that reason, I now recommend the organization to others.”
Now, Arthur’s days are spent with his wife of 45 years (who stood by him through it all) and his growing family. “Life is good. I would have never imagined coming out of prison to a wonderful life like this. My kids are successful, I have an amazing wife, and a new truck,” Arthur says.
When asked how hard it’s been to come home after four decades and integrate back into society and his community, Arthur, who spends every day trying to rebuild, reconnect, and make amends, has this to say:
“I’m doing the right things for all the right reasons. I just want to move forward and enjoy life.”
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