Second Chances Are a Public Safety Strategy

SEATTLE, April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pioneer Human Services is highlighting the critical role second chances play in improving public safety and helping people successfully return to their communities after incarceration.

Thousands of people return home from prisons and jails across Washington state every month. Without access to opportunity, many face barriers that make success far less likely.

Second chances are not a soft approach to crime. They are one of the most effective public safety strategies we have.

Pioneer Human Services serves approximately 10,000 individuals each year through a range of programs that help people build stability, overcome barriers and successfully return to their communities.

"The public conversation about safety too often begins and ends with incarceration," said Anthony Wright, CEO of Pioneer Human Services. "But the real question is what happens next. If people return home and cannot find housing, work or treatment, we should not be surprised when they struggle. If we want safer communities, we have to invest in what actually works."

Pioneer's recidivism rate for individuals served last year was 3.2 percent.

Wright said the impacts of incarceration extend far beyond the individual.

"Mass incarceration falls hardest on low-income communities and communities of color," Wright said. "It destabilizes families, deepens poverty and limits opportunity across generations. Second chances are about more than helping one person succeed. They are about strengthening communities that have been harmed by decades of inequitable policies."

For people returning from incarceration, access to employment, housing and support can be life-changing.

"A second chance meant someone saw potential in me that I couldn't yet see in myself," said Lana Tourigny, Director of Food Services at Pioneer Human Services. "That belief gave me the foundation to rebuild my life, contribute to my community, and support others who are walking a similar path."

Pioneer Human Services operates mission-driven businesses and services designed to reduce recidivism, increase stability and expand opportunity for people with conviction histories.

The organization believes public safety is not achieved through punishment alone. It is built through access to safe and stable housing, economic opportunity and the support people need to build a different future.

When people have the support they need to succeed after incarceration, families are stronger, communities are healthier and everyone is safer.

About Pioneer Human Services
Pioneer Human Services is a nonprofit social enterprise working to eradicate mass incarceration through innovative social entrepreneurship. Pioneer empowers justice-involved individuals to overcome adversity and reach their full potential through a broad range of more than 35 diversion, reentry and employment-focused programs across Washington state.

Unlike many nonprofits, Pioneer also operates businesses that intentionally create jobs and opportunity for people who face barriers to employment while generating revenue to sustain and expand its mission. 

Learn more at: www.PioneerHumanServices.org

Contact: Nanette Sorich, Communications Manager
Phone: 206-766-7034 
Email: [email protected]  

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SOURCE Pioneer Human Services