Breaking Chains, Building Futures: Pathways to Redemption, Education, and Excellence

by Stanley Andrisse

Overview

Explore the realities of life behind and beyond bars through a collection of compelling, first-hand stories

In Breaking Chains, Building Futures: Pathways to Redemption, Education, and Excellence, activist and endocrinologist Dr. Stanley Andrisse brings together a profoundly moving collection of first-hand accounts from individuals impacted by various lengths of incarceration. This powerful book sheds light on the struggles, triumphs, and enduring hope of people navigating life under the weight of harsh prison sentences and the daunting challenges of reentry.

Through these authentic stories, you'll witness the raw humanity of life behind bars and the determination of those striving to reclaim their futures. Meet inspiring individuals like:

• Oswald Newbold, sentenced to life at 20 after growing up with teenage parents battling addiction.
• William Freeman, who spent over two decades serving a life without parole sentence.
• Desiree Riley, a Black mother whose story highlights the intersection of race, gender, and parental incarceration.

Dr. Andrisse also shares his personal journey from incarceration to becoming a scientist and leading Prison to Professionals (P2P), a nonprofit empowering justice-impacted individuals to pursue higher education and redefine success. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the human impact of criminal sentencing and incarceration. Breaking Chains, Building Futures is more than a chronicle of hardship—it's a testament to courage, resilience, and the unyielding pursuit of a better tomorrow.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781394321049
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	09/17/2025
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

DR. STANLEY ANDRISSE is an endocrine scientist and faculty member at Howard University College of Medicine. He is a formerly incarcerated person with three felony convictions who was sentenced to 10 years in a maximum-security prison. After persistent advocacy—including writing multiple letters to judges and correctional officials—he was accepted into a drug rehabilitation program while incarcerated.

Upon his release, Dr. Andrisse was accepted into a PhD program at Saint Louis University, where he earned his PhD—graduating at the top of his class and two years ahead of schedule.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Part I Systemic Issues 1

1 The Strength of Healed Wounds: From Trials to Triumph—Rewriting the Narrative of Justice and Purpose 3

2 Light to Life: One Mission, One Voice—A Story of Resilience and Advocacy 19

3 Lessons Beyond the Classroom: An Educator’s Journey of Resilience, Redemption, and Purpose 35

4 Reentry Is Reinvention 51

Part II Resilience 65

5 Resilience and Perseverance Win 67

6 Journey to Liberating the Institutionalized Mind 79

7 It Takes a Village 101

8 A House Made of Ashes 119

Part III Education and Mentorship 131

9 Fallen 133

10 The Wall: Behind and Beyond—The Evolution of Phillip Alvin Jones 153

11 A Stage Worthy of Freedom 169

12 The Long Road Home 187

Conclusion: Systemic Injustice, Personal Transformation, and the Path Toward Change 195

Notes 201

Acknowledgments 205

About the Authors 207

Index 221