Most of Jamon Swope's life has played out behind bars. He has spent over 30 years incarcerated, although not all at once.
"The first time I was incarcerated, I was 14 years old. Unfortunately, it's sort of been my life story," Swope shared. "In and out of prison and jails since I was 14, never been home more than a year straight."
Now 47, he knows he still has a lot of life to live and he wants the rest of his life to look different than the first part of it.
"I feel like I'm empowered now like I'm back in my adolescence years, I'm ready to tackle the world," Swope said.
That new outlook on life and confidence in himself comes from the My Way Out program. The class that Swope was a part of was called 'Path to Success.' He and other justice-impacted people at the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center (CRC) learned life skills to be successful when they are released.
"We're empowering and enriching the lives of justice-impacted people and their families," said My Way Out Executive Director Ruben Gaona.
Gaona knows intimately what it's like to reintegrate into society. He started My Way Out to give people in similar situations he was in the tools he didn't have.
"In 2017 I came home from a 10-year federal sentence. Coming back home and reintegrating into Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I did not know where to start, I did not know where to go," Gaona recalls.
In the 'Path to Success' course, participants learn about fixing and building credit, how to rent, financial literacy, how to apply for jobs, and other skills.
"Individuals that enter prison systems or jails, 97% of those will be released. So, we have to offer people an opportunity to succeed once they're released," said CRC Superintendent Chantell Jewel. "Stability and housing are very important for our reentry population, it could potentially impact employment and other areas of their lives."
Wednesday marked the culmination of the first class. Eleven students got to participate in a graduation to mark their success, including Swope who got choked up while giving his speech after receiving his certificate.
"From a person who has been incarcerated for over 30 years of his short life, I have never been given the resources that I've been given in this class," Swope said during his speech before shedding a tear and hugging Gaona.
Swope said he's excited to get home and show his family and himself the ways he's grown through the My Way Out programming at CRC. In many ways, the program changed the trajectory of his life.
"It means a lot because it shows that if they can have that much faith and believe in me, I can believe in myself just as much as they believe in me. It was really touching to me because, I don't want to get emotional again, but they really cared. They really want us to succeed," Swope said.
He'll carry the belief in his own success with him as he walks out of the center, he said for the last time, in March.
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