The inspiration for "Judge Not"

Last fall, I participated in an exercise that profoundly impacted the way I thought about second chances in life. It was a simulation of what former prisoners face when they reenter society. The bank, government offices, jobs, drug-testing facilities, even a jail that make up the scenario are fake — just tables in a conference room staffed with volunteers playing their roles. But the frustrations are real.

Even after I wrote a story for the UNC website about the program, a collaboration of the nonprofit group Our Journey and UNC Correctional Education, I couldn't stop thinking about how difficult it is to make the transition from prison to the outside world. I was particularly haunted by a story that Our Journey founder Brian Scott told about a judge who broke down in tears after participating in the simulation.

That image inspired me to write a flash fiction story called "Judge Not," in which a judge comes face to face with the consequences of his actions. The story appears in the Spring 2025 issue of Sky Island Journal. Now Brian has shared that good news with the followers of Our Journey on Facebook. Check out this amazing program and its participants' true stories of transformation.