--- title: Everyone needs a second chance and redemption description: goals; transforming lives; rewrite narrative; reentry image: https://gofurtherconnect.com/hubfs/Joe%20Jenkins%20-%20BRAVE%20Effect%20(blog).png --- [Skip to content](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog/braveeffect#main-content) - [Starting Line](https://gofurtherconnect.com/starting-line) - [Resources](https://gofurtherconnect.com/resources) - [Jobs](https://gofurtherconnect.com/jobs) - [Media](https://gofurtherconnect.com/gofurther-media) - [News](https://gofurtherconnect.com/news-and-updates) - [Blog](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog) - [Hotlines](https://gofurtherconnect.com/hotlines) - [About](https://gofurtherconnect.com/about) - [Reentry Church](https://gofurtherconnect.com/reentry-church) ![hamburger-menu-icon-png-9](https://gofurtherconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/hamburger-menu-icon-png-9.jpg?width=50&height=50&name=hamburger-menu-icon-png-9.jpg "hamburger-menu-icon-png-9") [![Go Further Connect Landscape Vector copy-white](https://gofurtherconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Go%20Further%20Connect%20Landscape%20Vector%20copy-white.png?width=200&height=82&name=Go%20Further%20Connect%20Landscape%20Vector%20copy-white.png) ](https://gofurtherconnect.com/) - [Starting Line](https://gofurtherconnect.com/starting-line) - [Resources](https://gofurtherconnect.com/resources) - [Jobs](https://gofurtherconnect.com/jobs) - [Media](https://gofurtherconnect.com/gofurther-media) - [News](https://gofurtherconnect.com/news-and-updates) - [Blog](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog) - [Hotlines](https://gofurtherconnect.com/hotlines) - [About](https://gofurtherconnect.com/about) - [Reentry Church](https://gofurtherconnect.com/reentry-church) - [Starting Line](https://gofurtherconnect.com/starting-line) - [Resources](https://gofurtherconnect.com/resources) - [Jobs](https://gofurtherconnect.com/jobs) - [Media](https://gofurtherconnect.com/gofurther-media) - [News](https://gofurtherconnect.com/news-and-updates) - [Blog](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog) - [Hotlines](https://gofurtherconnect.com/hotlines) - [About](https://gofurtherconnect.com/about) - [Reentry Church](https://gofurtherconnect.com/reentry-church) # Everyone needs a second chance and redemption 31 May 2024 [Joe Jenkins ](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog/author/joe-jenkins) [Reentry Support](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog/tag/reentry-support), [Non-Profit Sponsor](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog/tag/non-profit-sponsor) Life isn't a fairy tale. I'm Joe Jenkins, aka Citico Joe, and I've seen life's grittiest corners in Chattanooga. Buckle up because I'm about to take you on a ride through the dark alleys of my past—a journey that birthed The B.R.A.V.E Effect. Imagine being 27, standing in a church crowd flaunting their pops while yours is MIA, not dead, just gone. That's the void I carried. That's the void a lot of young men where I come from have. Sometimes by choice, addiction, or incarceration. Hustling became my anthem, survival my only game. I was smart and had the opportunity to go to private school. I hate being teased and purposefully blew my exam so I wouldn't be an outcast in my neighborhood. I wanted to fit in at all costs. I had skills; hell, I was the guy working on cars and doing bodywork, but diapers and formula for my baby girl required more than just skills—it demanded a choice. I chose the streets and fast money. Fast forward to 2002, and that's when I started to pay the steep price for my lifestyle. I graduated in the streets, moving from the corner to selling wholesale. Even though I've changed, I built a name that still gets respect on the roads. I was also putting myself on the radar of law enforcement. I would go in and out of jail, then prison on short stents, slowly but surely sliding down the inevitable slippery slope of losing time behind bars to putting people I loved in the ground. Towards the latter of these years, I started having a serious relationship with the Lord. I finally asked God to turn my situation around, and boy, did I not know how he would answer me, just not how I would desire. 2013—the year my life hit the fan. A major case that publicly labeled me as one of "The 32 Worst of The Worst" hit the news, and a mandatory life sentence hung over my head. Fight or sink. I fought through tears and cried on those cold nights in Bradley County. There, in the isolation of prison, I realized I'd forgotten I was smart. I dumbed myself down for so long that I didn't read or apply information as well as when I was a boy. The prison library became my war room. Every book was a weapon I could use to fight for my freedom. I started helping others with their cases, chipping away at their sentences. Leslie Cory, an attorney, saw beyond the labels and affirmed my intellect. I spent two years in Bradley County and then went off to Arkansas. Surrounded by entrepreneurs and white-collar individuals, I fought my case to a plea for five years. Amidst the struggle, something remarkable happened—I began to write down plans and goals for a future where I vowed never to return. But here's where the real story begins: the birth of The BRAVE Effect. A mission born out of adversity, a determination to change lives and break the cycle. It's not just about me anymore; it's about everyone who needs a second chance and redemption. So, buckle up because this journey is far from over. The streets might have labeled me the worst of the worst, but I needed someone to see the intelligent, articulate black man beneath the surface. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where The B.R.A.V.E Effect transforms lives, one redemption story at a time, because everyone deserves a chance to rewrite their narrative. By Joe Jenkins Founder, The B.R.A.V.E. Effect ![Joe Jenkins Urban League](https://gofurtherconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Joe%20Jenkins%20Urban%20League.jpg?width=300&height=419&name=Joe%20Jenkins%20Urban%20League.jpg) ### Related Post [![](https://gofurtherconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Donald%20Hinton%20and%20House.png?width=352&name=Donald%20Hinton%20and%20House.png) ](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog/donaldhinton) ##### [Donald Hinton on Real Estate Investing](https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog/donaldhinton) This is a picture of me in front of a building that I purchased five months after I was released... 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I am 35 years old and I have recently been released after a 5-year prison... ##### Subscribe to our Newsletter 5501 Virginia Way Suite 110 Brentwood, TN 37027 Copyright © 2025 | Powered by Brandlamb [ Privacy Policy | ](https://www.hubspot.com) [ Terms & Condition ](https://www.hubspot.com) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Joe Jenkins", "url" : "https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog/author/joe-jenkins" }, "dateModified" : "2025-03-15T06:42:30.641Z", "datePublished" : "2024-05-31T13:46:47.000Z", "headline" : "Everyone needs a second chance and redemption", "image" : [ "https://gofurtherconnect.com/hubfs/Joe%20Jenkins%20-%20BRAVE%20Effect%20(blog).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://gofurtherconnect.com/blog/braveeffect", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://gofurtherconnect.com/hubfs/Go%20Further%20Connect%20Landscape%20Vector%20copy-white.png" } } } ```