“Is it too much for me to ask for my receipt?”

Posted January 22, 2016

Last week the Justice 4 All Program was supportive of an event at Lino Lakes led by a group of incarcerated men called the B.R.I.D.G.E Trust. This group is led by Kevin Reese who, even though he is incarcerated, has organized not just the men at the prison, but several community partners, the MN Dept. of Corrections (DOC) and the Governor’s office to take note of the powerful work they are leading to advance prison reform.

It is my pleasure to share Kevin Reese’s wisdom on the issue of Voting Rights Restoration with you. Please share with your people.   

My name is Kevin Reese, and I’m 28 and I’ve been in prison since I was 18. I take full responsibility for my actions that led me here. The state of Minnesota sentenced me to 22 years to pay my debt to society, and paying my debt is what I’ve been doing. I’ve completed every mandate that the judge placed in front of me, and tapped into every resource the prison can offer.

Now I want to pose the question: after I pay my debt is it too much for me to ask for my receipt? And on that receipt can we acknowledge that, jobs, community, and family are the cornerstones to keeping people from ending up back in prison?… Continue reading »