The last time he was released from prison, Robert “Fleetwood” Bowden didn’t have anywhere to turn. After 17 years in and out of incarceration, he wasn’t sure he knew how to stay away. The last few times he was released he had good intentions, but it’s hard to get a job when you have a record, and he found himself using old survival tactics and getting incarcerated again.
He was given $200 and released back into society for the last time in the year 2000. His money was almost gone by the third day, but Bowden was determined to keep his freedom for good this time. He went to a homeless shelter, found the person in charge and pleaded for a job.
“I just looked at him in the eye, told him … I would be willing to do anything, can you just please give me a chance. I just got out of prison, I want to change my life,” remembers Bowden.
He was told to fill out an application and return the next day; he had a job. Bowden knew he had been given a rare opportunity. He promised himself that once his life was back on track, he would help others change their lives after incarceration.
In 2006, Bowden created the Homeboy Hotline. Combining an online resource catalog with Bowden’s personal approach, Homeboy Hotline helps ex-offenders make a practical plan to stay on the honest path.
The website has listings for jobs that do not exclude people with criminal records, as well as where to find low-income or transitional housing, free medical care and other resources to help people who are trying to re-start their life.
A three-day window
The choices made during the first 72 hours after release are crucial.
“The first day you get out, you’re all excited. You’re out, gung ho … you’re trying to get that job, so you can … get your life back on track,” Bowden explained. “Next day, all day you’re hitting the sidewalk, beating the pavement–nothing. Now you’re dealing with the other side of hope, which is rejection and disappointment.”
It’s usually around the third day when the money received on release begins to run out.
“This is where temptation sets in,” Bowden said. “You’re down to your last $12 … you’re gonna call Junior. You get a pound of that weed … something to keep you going until you get that job.”
This is why it is so difficult to eradicate recidivism. If the right resources are not available during this critical three day window, even the most well intentioned ex offenders are at risk of falling back to the cycle of crime.
There are government agencies that can assist in the process of reintegration, but most tend to lack the personalized approach necessary to make a practical, individualized plan of action. Some programs offer training courses that are beneficial, but can take weeks to complete, taking time away from job searching.
When contacting the city of San Francisco help line, El Tecolote was referred to the Human Services Agency as the main place for an ex-offender to get resources. The HSA will help to apply for food stamps and find a homeless shelter, but it does not offer any resources specifically targeted towards reintegration after incarceration. The Homeboy Hotline fills these gaps.
Bowden receives letters with very specific needs, and he prides himself on finding help for even the most challenging situations. He recently gathered resources and sent a letter of support to Michael Comeaux, an inmate from Valley State Prison who is disabled and in a wheelchair. “Your assistance could literally make the difference,” wrote Comeaux.
Homeboy Hotline is meant to prepare those recently released to hit the ground running.
Lee Davis, who was recently released from San Quentin prison after serving two years out of a five year sentence for burglary, has benefited from such preparation.
Davis knew that a lot of former inmates got work in stocking jobs, but he wasn’t sure how to proceed, so he called Bowden two days after being released. “We sat down to have a talk …he was finding me whatever resources he could,” said Davis. “Thanks to Fleetwood … I got employed about two weeks after I came out.”
Six months later, Davis is still working doing stocking for a trucking company. “As long as you’re really hungry, as long as you’re really serious about getting yourself a job, then it’s cool.”
Bowden believes everyone deserves a second chance. He left behind a past of crime, drug use and theft. Today he is an author, rap artist and documentary filmmaker, all while running the Homeboy Hotline.
Every person in this world starts out as an innocent child. But at some point, some make bad choices and lose their way. For Bowden, his work is “about allowing a person to become accountable for what they did wrong … and being able to tap back into that innocence.”
For more information about Homeboy Hotline visit their website: http://homeboyhotline.org/