
April is Second Chance Month
April is Second Chance Month
Second Chance Month is a national movement that aims to raise awareness about the challenges that people face when they re-enter society after being involved in the criminal justice system. The month-long initiative is about giving individuals a second chance at life and helping them to become productive members of society.
As part of our mission, CRS supports initiatives that help individuals who have been impacted by systemic injustices, including those who have been incarcerated. This is where Second Chance Month comes in.
For many people who have served time in prison, it can be incredibly challenging to re-enter society. Even after serving their time, they may face discrimination and stigma that makes it difficult to find employment, housing and support services. This can lead to a cycle of poverty, homelessness and recidivism.
Second Chance Month is about giving people a chance to break this cycle and rebuild their lives. It's a time when advocates, policymakers and community organizations come together to raise awareness about the challenges facing formerly incarcerated individuals and promote policies and programs that support their successful reintegration.
At CRS, we believe that everyone deserves a second chance. We support initiatives that provide people with the resources and support they need to thrive after incarceration, including job training programs, mental health services and housing assistance. By working to remove the barriers that prevent individuals from successfully re-entering society, we can create a more just and equitable world for all.
By supporting individuals who have been impacted by systemic injustices, we can work towards creating a more equitable and just society for all.
Click here to learn more about the work CRS is doing in our Restoring Opportunities and Justice Reform issue area.
This blog article tracks executive orders issued by the current administration that limit affordable healthcare for low-income individuals, target refugees, roll back environmental protections, deepen disparities among marginalized communities, reinforce inequality, and more.
Today is Election Day. That means today, Tuesday, November 5, is the last day to cast our votes for a host of political offices that have the power to determine the course of the future for our individual and communal lives. CRS encourages all who read this to make that choice.
CRS and our member congregation, Urban Village Church, Wicker Park, co-hosted a virtual gathering on October 23. This online meeting set out to educate our network on the battle to end pretextual traffic stops in Chicago and empower folks to mobilize because, as asserted before, when we fight, we win.
CRS co-hosted a prayer vigil with our member congregation, Urban Village Church, at Grace Church of Logan Square for our “We Won’t Bury the Slain: Day of Action” on September 18. Together with site pastors and Black, Brown, white, and LGBTQIA+ communities in Chicago, we embodied the longstanding tradition of acting in solidarity in the pursuit of justice.
Our voices will resound stronger, louder, and unbroken in unison and Beloved Community. Our foreparents faced setbacks and obstacles. Still, they rose to the occasion for us and generations yet born. We will carry that spirited fire because it is perpetual and vibrantly inextinguishable through the persistence of our prayers, our protests, and our policies.
CRS rang in Freedom Day early and boosted backing for the Free2Move Coalition’s campaign and their petition to end pretextual stops by canvassing at the June 15 Juneteenth Village Fest hosted by It Takes A Village Family of Schools. Check out photos from the fest here!
On this Juneteenth, let’s honor our history by continuing our ancestors’ fight for freedom. Read our statement as we celebrate and build political power to ensure that Black liberation is a reality.
This Memorial Day holiday, as CRS reflects on lives dedicated to service, moral courage, and the principles of justice, sacrifice, and human dignity, we do so against the backdrop of present-day wars, genocide, and a culture of violence that includes poverty and racism. We are beckoned to memorialize the peacekeepers of our past by being the change agents in this very hour of world suffering and unrest.
As CRS calls on transparent conversations about the Chicago Police Department’s use of excessive force in relationship to Black, Brown, and Indigenous people of our Beloved city, we share a list of traffic stop resources in partnership with the ACLU of Illinois.
In America, policing has almost become synonymous with Black death. The March 21 killing of Dexter Reed (26) in Chicago is yet another horrific example of the ways in which Black bodies are violently and fatally endangered when they come in contact with law enforcement. They can’t keep killing us. The excessive use of force must stop!
As April ushers in the change of spring, CRS proudly joins the nation in acknowledging Second Chance Month! This designation holds profound significance for us as we champion just reentry and equitable opportunities for all.

Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter and get more stories like these delivered fresh to your inbox.