Second Chance Month, observed each April since 2017 and spearheaded by Prison Fellowship, raises awareness about the collateral consequences faced by millions of Americans with criminal records. Too often, people coming home from incarceration face institutional and social barriers that make it difficult to fully step into a second chance.
Without meaningful reentry support, returning citizens can quickly become overwhelmed navigating life after incarceration. This can lead to substance use or a return to behaviors that place them back into the system—not because change isn’t possible, but because reentry is complex and challenging.
At the Montana Innocence Project, our current strategic plan focuses on strengthening reentry support for our clients while building a coalition to advance second chance advocacy. We approach second chances by creating pathways for decarceration for those who are unjustly incarcerated and by connecting clients with the critical reentry work happening across our state to support a successful return home.
Through our social services advocacy program, we’ve had the privilege of connecting with organizations across Montana doing reentry work with care, creativity, and deep commitment. We’re honored to highlight three of those partners today:
STEP (Support & Techniques for Empowering People)
Responses provided by Amanda McLauchlin, Renewal Recovery Residence Manager, and Tara Williamson, Executive Director
What does your organization do?
At STEP, we strive to build an equitable, just, and compassionate community where everyone is connected and empowered to create the life they choose. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue what matters most to them. We are committed to identifying and eliminating barriers that stand in the way of people experiencing fulfillment. We help people to develop knowledge, connections, skills, and experiences that contribute to their progress toward their greatest aspirations.
For more than 47 years, STEP has served Yellowstone County by providing community-based services for children, families, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), as well as individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. Our work has always been rooted in the belief that people belong in their communities and should have the support needed to succeed there. We focus on helping individuals set and reach their own goals while building stability and connection along the way.
Why is reentry important?
A key part of our approach is how we respond when challenges come up. If someone experiences a return to use, they are not immediately asked to leave. Instead, we work with them to understand what happened and help them put a plan in place to move forward. We believe progress is not always linear, and lasting change takes support, accountability, and time. As long as someone is willing to keep showing up and putting in the work for themselves and their recovery, we will be there alongside them.
That is why reentry matters so much to us. When someone is coming out of incarceration or treatment, they are often walking into a lot of uncertainty. Without a stable place to live and people in their corner, it is easy to fall back into old patterns. Having that support and structure can make all the difference.
What does “second chances” mean to you?
It is not just a phrase. It is showing up for people, even when things are messy and not going as planned. It is believing that people can change and continuing to stand beside them while they figure it out.
We have had residents who were not successful their first time in recovery or even their first time in our homes. That can be hard, for them and for us, but it does not mean their story is over. If someone is willing to come back and keep trying, we will meet them there. We will open the door again.
We truly believe recovery is not linear. Some of the most meaningful success stories we have seen have come from people who came back after a setback, ready to try again. When people have a place where they are still welcomed, still supported, and still believed in, it gives them another real chance at recovery.
Is there anything exciting you’d like to highlight right now?
We have also identified a growing need for recovery housing in more rural areas of Montana, where access to safe, supportive environments can be limited. In response, we are preparing to expand into Carbon County in the near future.
Inside Out Peer Services
Responses provided by Jessica Donahue, Co-Founder
What does your organization do?
We are a peer-led organization that strives to assist justice-impacted individuals in navigating the system as soon as they enter the doors of prisons and jails in the state of Montana. We know from lived experience that when we get released, we are homeless, have a ton of requirements, and so many barriers that we end up reoffending before we get assistance. We aim to give everyone a second chance and show them recovery is possible.
Why is reentry important?
Reentry is important because a lack of support, a million tasks, and no resources overwhelm a person, making it easier to continue with what they are used to doing. Most Justice Impacted individuals have burnt every bridge and need support from those who have made it out.
What does “second chances” mean to you?
Everyone deserves a second chance at life, which means not focusing on what is wrong with someone but exploring what happened to them so they feel seen, heard, and validated, and so they overcome the fear of reaching out.
Is there a story or anecdote that demonstrates your commitment to second chances that you’d like to share?
My name is Jessica Donahue, and I have been incarcerated 38 times in my life. I have been sober close to 10 years because someone assisted me in advocating for myself, as well as advocating for me. This one person saved my life, gave me the unconditional love I never had from my own family, never gave up on me, and held boundaries. Because of this, I felt like someone finally cared and saw the pain I was in, and this alone empowered me to do peer support once I was healthy enough. Also, my dad died by overdose when I was 19, so if I can help one person, I’m honoring his life by helping someone else. I now manage an opioid treatment program, am in grad school for counseling, and started my own non-profit as a result of where I am now. Thanks so much for thinking of us. I am a second chance, and this is why I believe in them.
Rimrock Foundation
Responses provided by Chyrel Garding, Manager of Business Development and Community Outreach
What does your organization do?
Rimrock Foundation is Montana’s largest and most comprehensive provider of addiction and behavioral health treatment. For more than 50 years, we have delivered a full continuum of care, including detoxification, residential treatment, day treatment, intensive outpatient, outpatient services, and peer support.
Our approach is rooted in evidence-based practices and guided by compassion. We meet individuals where they are, walking alongside them as they stabilize, rebuild, and create a sustainable path forward. At Rimrock, recovery is not just about stopping substance use. It’s about restoring dignity, rebuilding lives, and strengthening families and communities.
Why is reentry important?
Reentry is one of the most critical and often overlooked moments in a person’s recovery journey. When individuals leave incarceration or treatment without support, they face overwhelming barriers: housing instability, unemployment, stigma, and limited access to care.
Without a strong reentry system, we set people up to fail. With one, we create real opportunity.
At Rimrock, we work closely with drug courts, correctional partners, and community organizations to ensure individuals have access to treatment, peer support, and structured services as they transition back into the community. Reentry is not just about returning. It’s about rebuilding, with the right support in place to make that change sustainable.
What does “second chances” mean to you?
Second chances mean recognizing that a person is more than the worst moment of their life.
In behavioral health, we understand that addiction is a complex disease, not a moral failure. Many of the individuals we serve have experienced trauma, systemic barriers, and cycles of instability long before entering treatment or the justice system.
A second chance is the opportunity to be seen, supported, and believed in again. It’s access to treatment, housing, employment, and community without stigma. It’s the chance to rebuild trust, rediscover purpose, and create a future that once felt out of reach.
Is there anything exciting you’d like to highlight right now?
We are continuing to expand access to care across Montana, including growing our outpatient presence in Gallatin County to ensure individuals can stay connected to treatment close to home.
We’re also investing in community-centered recovery spaces like Rimrock’s Garden of Hope, a place designed for reflection, connection, and healing. This space will host recovery events, peer support gatherings, and opportunities for the broader community to engage in conversations around healing and second chances.
These efforts reflect our commitment to meeting people not just in crisis but throughout their entire recovery journey.
Is there a story or anecdote that demonstrates your commitment to second chances that you’d like to share?
One of the most powerful reminders of why this work matters comes from individuals who once believed recovery wasn’t possible for them.
We’ve walked alongside people who entered treatment after years of addiction, incarceration, and loss, individuals who had exhausted every option and every relationship. Through consistent care, peer support, and a structured path forward, they began to rebuild. Today, some of those same individuals are working, parenting, mentoring others in recovery, and even serving in peer support roles, helping guide the next person walking through our doors.
Their stories are not rare; they are the result of what happens when a community chooses to invest in second chances. At Rimrock, we don’t just believe in recovery. We see it happen every day.
Second chances don’t happen in isolation. They’re made possible by people and organizations who choose to believe that change is possible. We’re inspired by the incredible work of these organizations and grateful for the opportunity to continue advocating for systems that make second chances real.
Stay tuned for next week, when we’ll share an in-depth conversation with Empower 180 founder Rosebud Madinger, whose innovative and inspiring organization supports success in reentry for Native women in Montana.