In this narrated episode, Brandon Burley reads and reflects on an opinion piece originally published in The Daily Memphian examining why second chance hiring is a public safety issue—not just an employment one.

While the article focuses on Memphis, the argument applies far beyond one city. When people return from prison or jail without access to work, housing, transportation, or licensing pathways, the conditions for reoffending are quietly rebuilt. Public safety doesn’t improve by closing more doors. It improves by opening the right ones back.

This episode explores how background checks, licensing barriers, housing scarcity, and transportation gaps intersect—and why responsibility for change doesn’t rest solely with government, but with employers, communities, and citizens willing to step in.

Season 4 of The Redemption Project features narrated journalism and reported essays on criminal justice, reentry, and public safety.

Clark doesn’t begin his story with a testimony. He starts with the record.

Manufacturing methamphetamine. Identity theft. Criminal simulation. Unauthorized use. A list of charges that once defined his life. Addiction drove the collapse—relationships failed, trust disappeared, and prison became the inevitable outcome.

In this long-form conversation, Clark talks about what actually changed him while incarcerated: structure, accountability, faith lived out daily, and people who refused to let him drift. Redemption didn’t arrive as relief. It arrived as responsibility.

Years later, Clark was granted a pardon by Governor Bill Lee. The paperwork made headlines—but it didn’t create the change. It recognized it.

This episode of The Redemption Project is about confronting the past honestly, rebuilding consistently, and the people who walk with you long before the world notices.

🎧 New episodes release weekly.

In this episode of The Redemption Project podcast (Season 4, Episode 3), I read and comment on my article originally published in Knox TN Today: “What People Don’t See About Life After Jail in Knoxville.”

This piece sheds light on the hidden challenges people face after leaving jail—beyond what most of the public sees or understands. From housing and employment barriers to healthcare gaps and societal stigma, the realities of reentry demand deeper attention and practical support.

In this read-aloud and commentary, we explore:

• The unseen obstacles of life after jail in Knoxville

• Why traditional measures of “success” miss the real stories

• The importance of community, structure, and accountability

• How programs and ministries are filling the gaps

For the original written article, visit:

https://www.knoxtntoday.com/what-people-dont-see-about-life-after-jail-in-knoxville/

The Redemption Project tells real stories of change, accountability, and second chances, hosted by Brandon Burley.