By Bill Parry
Stanley Richards likes to say he went from the big house to the White House.
The senior vice president of the Fortune Society was honored as a Champion of Change at a White House ceremony last week. Richards was one of 16 individuals who do extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.
Richards’ life journey began on the mean streets of the Bronx, where he ran with a dangerous crowd. He bottomed out when he was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to up to nine years in prison.
“I was always told I wasn’t worth anything,” Richards said. “I was told my life would be nothing but the streets and prison.”
He began to salvage his life through education, earning a GED and when he was released, after serving 4 1/2 years, he went on to graduate from college. In 1991, Richards was hired by the Fortune Society as a counselor helping formerly incarcerated men and women successfully re-enter their communities through services such as career development, job retention, substance abuse treatment, supportive housing and HIV/AIDS services.
Richards is now the senior vice president of the Long Island City-based organization overseeing all housing programs.
“People describe my life as unique,” he said. “It all came down to education. Education let me know that a different life was possible and that was empowering.”
The June 30 White House ceremony was hosted by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who spoke at length about the re-entry of released prisoners.
“At some point, 95 percent of all incarcerated people will be released,” Holder said. “And just as we expect everyone who commits a crime to serve their time and pay their societal debts, we also expect them to remain sober and crime-free upon their release. We expect them to get jobs and find housing and we expect them to become productive taxpayers and law-abiding members of society. Unfortunately, these expectations are not always met. Shockingly high recidivism rates persist across the country.”
According to Justice Department statistics, nearly 68 percent of released prisoners return within three years. Nearly 77 percent are back after five years.
“Everyone looks at those numbers,” Richards said. “Me, I look at the nearly 25 percent of the people that don’t go back to prison and we should focus on that element of success. Mass incarceration doesn’t build better communities or better families. Education builds better people with the tools they can use upon their release.”
Richards brought his wife of 23 years, his 22-year-old son and his 6-year-old grandson to the White House. Fortune Society founder David Rothenberg and President and CEO JoAnne Page made the trip as well.
“Words can’t express how proud we are of Stan,” Page said. “His work at the Fortune Society has transformed the lives of thousands and thousands of people. Stan is our champion and an inspirational leader and role model.
Richards took time to compare notes with the other 15 honorees from across the nation.
“My biggest takeaway is that there are a lot of people in this country working on re-entry and there’s real power in the collective,” he said. “I am grateful to the White House for recognizing my efforts and look forward to continuing my work at the Fortune Society.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by email at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718.260.4538.
