Victor Dickson on First Chances, the Success Sequence, and Safer Foundation

Hardly Working with Brent Orrell

We all deserve a second chance. But what if you never got a first? Victor Dickson leads the Safer Foundation, which supports the social and economic reintegration of formerly incarcerated people. The Foundation’s diverse services, including workforce development and mental health counseling, help people who are held back by violence, substance abuse, and poverty build the habits of happy and prosocial life. In this episode, I talk with Victor about the barriers and solutions to prisoner reentry and about the role models that supported him in his own professional journey.

Mentioned During the Show

Safer Foundation

Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. (now AT&T)

Sprint (now T-Mobile)

Success Sequence

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Elisabeth Babcock

Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath)

Social Determinants of Health

Mass Incarceration

Barriers to Prisoner Reentry

Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)

Illinois Supreme Court SIM

Race Health Disparities in Chicago

Mental Health Providers by Area in Chicago

Intergenerational Effects of Incarceration

Digital Divide Across Income Groups

Recidivism Rates

Legal Barriers to Employment of Former Prisoners

Economic Cost of Barriers to Employment