Givers, Doers, & Thinkers—A Podcast on Philanthropy and Civil Society · Jeremy Beer

Cary Sanders and Ralph May & overcoming societal barriers after incarceration

·47 min·1 clip

This episode features nonprofit leaders Kerry Sanders of Jumpstart and Ralph May of St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho, who both work to support people transitioning from incarceration. Host Jeremy Beer guides a conversation exploring their personal backgrounds and the systemic barriers facing reentering citizens. Sanders served a 10-year prison sentence himself, while May came to this work after a farming career and missionary service in Peru. Nationally, over 2.5 million people are incarcerated, and roughly 30% return to prison within three years of release. Sanders illustrates the practical hurdles by recounting a friend's story about lacking the $12 needed for a birth certificate upon release, which cascaded into homelessness and employment barriers. May notes Idaho has the highest incarceration rate for women in the developed world and a large prison complex near Boise that releases about 1,500 people annually into their local program. Jumpstart operates in 19 South Carolina prisons, beginning a year before release and using a peer-based 360-review system to address behavioral issues like anger. St. Vincent de Paul runs a "first day out" service providing transportation, food, and clothing vouchers, plus career navigators who office inside prisons to develop reentry plans. A striking insight is that both organizations achieve recidivism rates far below national averages: Jumpstart reports less than 4% among its 1,800 participants over a decade, while St. Vincent de Paul's program shows a 17% rate compared to Idaho's 37% average. Sanders' organization builds a residential neighborhood and runs social enterprises, including a nearly $1 million-per-year landscaping company with profit-sharing for graduates. May reveals a profound shift in Idaho's Department of Corrections, which now views incarceration as the start of a reentry journey and welcomes their inside programming. Sanders estimates 70% of the people they serve report substance abuse at the time of their incarceration, with fentanyl and meth being prevalent. The dialogue highlights the often-overlooked rental discrimination against people with records, which persists even after employment is secured. May observes that individuals with a felony conviction earn an average of $20,000 less per year, breeding a cycle of hopelessness. A memorable success story from Jumpstart involves a man who overdosed five times, was turned in by his mother, and is now a staff member, homeowner, and expectant father. Both leaders emphasize that effective support requires addressing root causes like trauma and providing ongoing mentorship to prevent self-sabotage. The tone is conversational, educational, and hopeful, blending personal narrative with data and practical solutions. The style is interview-based, with the host facilitating a deep dive into two complementary models of reentry support. Listeners interested in criminal justice reform, grassroots nonprofit innovation, and stories of personal redemption will find this episode compelling. Those seeking a highly critical or polemical take on the prison system might find the tone too collaborative with state corrections departments.

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