Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for the MacArthur Foundation, Eddie Bocanegra talks about his time in prison and his work with the READI program in Chicago. This program is helping individuals at the highest risk of violence find jobs and lead productive lives.

· How is this program helping Chicago communities? Is it effectively reducing gun violence?

· Read more about the READI program.

Early on, in prison, I learned that most people looked exactly like me. They came from poor neighborhoods and from families overwhelmed by the struggles of day-to-day life, not to mention a lack of access to employment and education. Most of my fellow inmates had personally experienced violence and trauma. And, like me, their fight-or-flight instinct was on overdrive.

The men who rotated through what seemed like a revolving prison door shared the same goal as me—to never return. Somehow, many of us fell short. Nearly everyone who returned to prison lacked the same things—a plan for how to survive outside of prison; a network of people who would stick by them when they faced setbacks; and access to a support system to help them cope with feelings of hopelessness, loss, and frustration.

Through READI Chicago, we are offering paid transitional jobs, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other supports to individuals at highest risk of violence involvement to help decrease violence and create better futures. Together with men and women who are as committed as I am to tackling Chicago’s gun violence challenge, we are focusing on individual behavior change and creating access to opportunity and positive, nurturing relationships.

Read the full article about responding to gun violence by Eddie Bocanegra at the MacArthur Foundation.