Our Mission
At ABT Community, our mission is to empower incarcerated and recently released individuals to build successful, purpose-driven lives. Through education, job placement, mentorship, and accountability, we support each person’s journey toward lasting reentry and personal transformation. From providing access to degrees, vocational certifications, and second chance employment opportunities, to fostering a culture of community, trust, and support, we work to break the cycle of recidivism and create A Better Tomorrow—for individuals, families, and society as a whole.
Our Core Initiatives
Empowering change for a brighter tomorrow
Community Outreach
Through community outreach, we connect incarcerated individuals and returning citizens with vital resources, mentorship, and support networks. We build bridges between prisons and neighborhoods, engage local partners, and create pathways that promote healing, reduce stigma, and strengthen successful reentry into the community.
Education - During Incarceration and Post
We provide incarcerated individuals with a curated list of accredited correspondence programs offering degrees, vocations, and certifications. Upon release, we offer personalized guidance and support to help them continue or begin their education, opening doors to opportunity, stability, and personal growth.
Second Chance
We maintain and share a comprehensive list of second chance employers committed to hiring individuals with criminal records. By connecting returning citizens to these opportunities, we help remove employment barriers and support long-term stability, self-sufficiency, and successful reintegration.
You're Not Alone - There's A Community
We’ve compiled a trusted list of organizations, law firms, and community programs dedicated to supporting socially and justice-impacted individuals. This resource connects people to legal aid, advocacy, and vital services that promote equity, empowerment, and meaningful second chances.
You are more than who you are on paper!
Impact Through Commitment
Real change is built through consistent, intentional action. We support justice-impacted individuals in taking practical, measurable steps toward improved outcomes. Our progress is measured by the programs we create, the communities we reach, and the number of people actively using our resources to prepare for a successful return home.
Educational programs while in custody
Work-release and skill-based opportunities
Merit-based pathways to increased liberty
Reentry resources that support stable employment and community integration
Why “Reentry matters”
Our criminal legal system often demands transformation without providing all of the necessary tools to achieve it—or the means to prove it. Justice-impacted individuals are expected to show accountability, personal growth, and readiness for increased liberty, yet they are rarely given clear guidance, structured support, or credible ways to document that progress.
This gap has real consequences.
Decisions about custody level, programming access, early release, and reentry opportunities are frequently made with incomplete information—while the real work people are doing to change their lives goes unseen. Effort goes unrecognized. Growth goes undocumented. Potential is overlooked.
We are committed to helping fight recidivism
Together, we are working to help build A Better Tomorrow!
We work directly with justice-impacted individuals to reduce recidivism by empowering them through education and employment. By providing access to degree programs, vocational training, and certification opportunities—both during incarceration and after release—we help lay a strong foundation for long-term success.
Our team also offers job placement assistance, connecting individuals with second chance employers who value growth over past mistakes. But our mission goes beyond individual support—we’re building a community grounded in dignity, opportunity, and accountability. Together, we strive to create A Better Tomorrow—one where every person has the tools, support, and second chances they need to thrive.
Did you know?
A major RAND study found that inmates in postsecondary education programs were 43% less likely to reoffer and that the degree level mattered.
These who obtained associates degrees were around 85% less likely to return to prison.
Those who obtained bachelors degrees were over 95% less likely to return to prison.
Our Clients Say
Oscar B.
After serving time in prison, Oscar B. faced the uncertainty that many returning citizens know all too well—how to start over in a world that often overlooks people with records. That’s when he connected with A Better Tomorrow (ABT Community), a turning point that marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
With the support and guidance of ABT Community, Oscar secured a full-time position at Goodwill, a nonprofit organization known for giving second chances to individuals impacted by the justice system. Through hard work and dedication, Oscar quickly became a valued team member.
Oscar credits ABT Community, and Derek Bluford in particular, for helping him regain his confidence and sense of purpose. “A Better Tomorrow isn’t just an organization,” Oscar says. “It’s given me a chance and friend that believed in me, and helped me when I needed it most.”
Today, Oscar continues to thrive at Goodwill, and his story is a reminder that with support, opportunity, and belief, transformation is not only possible—it’s powerful. He is living proof that second chances create stronger communities and brighter futures.