ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Once an inmate is released from jail or prison, they can face many challenges reintegrating into society.
In Florida, statistics show about a quarter of those who have served their time get re-incarcerated within three years. For a convicted felon, life after prison can be very limiting.
Tony Williams found that out in March 2012 after serving 10 years in federal prison.
“It was very difficult,” he said. “It was difficult just navigating working a job versus finding a career.”
But Williams knows he has more of a mind for business than he does a body for landscaping. The 47-year-old talks about the struggle of re-entering life outside of prison on a weekly radio show.
“We want to show y’all bosses, CEOs, HR departments,” he said on 99JAMZ. “We want to show y’all how it feels to get out and operate that first week when coming home from prison or incarceration.”
And he’s very open about the harsh realities he faced coming home.
“I don’t care how much money you make, you can’t replace the time,” he said. “When I left my daughters they were six years old. When I came home they were graduating.”
According to the latest information released by the Florida Department of Corrections, the recidivism rate within three years of being released has seen a decline from 27.7% in 2008 to 21.2% in 2018, but men are still 11.5% more likely than women to return to jail in that time.
No longer wanting to be a statistic, Williams had a defining moment when he decided to put his business mind to work.
“You don’t know what it feels like when your wife has to hand you the $80 under the table so you can pay for dinner, but once you dig into your manhood you’re like, ‘Oh you know what? Girl I’m fixing to buy you a shoe store,’” he said.
“You know what I mean? For real. That $80 turned into a shoe store because she believed in me.”
It took Williams and his wife a couple of years, but in 2020, they opened the doors to Agape and he began to learn a whole new industry.
“Believe it or not, I’m very knowledgeable for just paying attention. I have to make sales to women who come in. I’m knowledgeable. I pay attention,” Williams said.
And when he’s not selling women’s shoes, he’s working with the Pinellas County Urban League, not just volunteering, but helping people like Alicia Waddell get affordable health insurance.
“It’s very hard for me to take a minute and go through all the plans,” Waddell said. “So by him assisting me in doing this, it just changed the game for me.”
Williams left prison determined to make a difference for his fellow citizens. He hopes to inspire others to do the same.
“Digest as much information as you can,” he said. “And it doesn’t have to be in a specific area. Just learn things. You tell your kids do a job that you’ll get up and love to go to every day. I don’t have no problem coming to do my job. Not at all.”
His story and advice will be highlighted in a special forum Tuesday afternoon called The Community Re-entry Experience, hosted by St. Petersburg City Councilman John Muhammad. It’s designed to offer participants a virtual experience of re-entering society from incarceration.
“The most important part is the re-entry simulation that will allow those who participate to share their identity,” he said. “Assume the identity of somebody who is just coming home from prison or jail, and then go through with the experience as they’re trying to navigate to social services and community systems.”
The event starts Tuesday at 12 p.m. at the Center for Health and Equity. It is located at 2333 34th St. S. in St. Petersburg.