Update

Radee Hammett isn’t hiding anything – not the trouble he got into as a young person, not his conviction, not the five years he spent in prison, or the nine years he spent under supervision.

But what Radee, a Prison Society mentor and member of the Prison Society’s Community Advisory Council, wants everyone to know is that people like him are human beings who are capable of change, and, most importantly, capable of contributing  to society.

“Don’t judge a book by the cover,” he said. “Open up the book and read it.”

When Radee got out of prison ten years ago, he opened a new chapter in his life – one that included both his volunteer work for the Prison Society and the founding of The ReAwakening Agency, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people coming out of prison survive and thrive on the outside.

“I would like to humanize incarceration,” he said. “We are just humans that fell short and made mistakes.”

Radee, who lives in Philadelphia, grew up in the city. He lost his compass when his father died of a heart attack while Radee was still in junior high school. His mother tried hard, enrolling him in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and even moving to a new neighborhood to escape bad influences. 

“I brought my old ways to my new neighborhood,” Radee said. “I was getting into trouble, being in the streets, selling drugs -- all the wrong things to do, but it was the right thing in my mind.  

“But there is something good that comes out of the bad, sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes, it takes a person to go through it and come out of it,” he added, “to come out of that dark cloud that is prison -- to stand tall and bring people up to where you are.”

At times, though, to stand tall, you need a hand to pull you up – not just material help, like finding a place to live and a job, but help for the heart, like finding confidence and hope.

The Prison Society provided that for Radee.

“The Prison Society has helped me a lot,” he said. “The Prison Society has given me ownership, has given me a title. That title puts me in a position to be able to inspire and uplift. They have helped me by showing me that I can give back based on what I have been through. I can give back now that I am home.”

As a Prison Society mentor, he connects with people in prison, advising them on how to avoid returning to prison when they get out. He bolsters their spirits if they are turned down after a parole hearing. 

As a member of the Prison Society’s Community Advisory Council, he helps the Prison Society with its messaging and strategy – making sure it stays focused on the needs of people in prison and their families. 

“I consider myself a credible messenger because I’ve sat in the same seat as the people I’m administering help to,” he said. “If I can do it, they can do it.”

When Radee got out of prison ten years ago, he started collecting money,  putting donation boxes in beauty parlors and barber shops. Soon, there was enough money to facilitate life-and-job-skills workshops and to buy care packages and hygiene kits, all the while building The ReAwakening Agency.

“We are helping them erase the barriers that exist, that get in the way after serving time – whether it’s being computer literate, arranging transportation for getting to and from interviews, or hygiene.” 

“We set the table for them to be successful,” Radee said.

Radee’s efforts attracted enough positive attention that he was able to get his probation period terminated, so he is no longer supervised by the court. Instead, he said, the courts are sending people to him for help.

The name of his organization comes from a reawakening he had while behind bars. In prison, he realized that he had leadership skills, but as a young man, he had led himself and others down a bad path. 

But he also realized that those same skills – skills that allowed him to motivate and inspire – could be turned to the good.

“If you can motivate people, you can bring life to people, versus destruction and death,” he said. 

These days, in addition to his volunteer efforts for the Prison Society and The ReAwakening Agency, Radee has a job as a victim services advocate for Philadelphia CeaseFire, an anti-gun violence organization affiliated with Temple University. In this role, he helps families and victims of violence obtain counseling and resources. 

“That’s the whole thing where life comes full circle,” he said. “I was once the perpetrator, but God has allowed me to change my life around to be one who is advocating for the victim. 

For Radee, each act of kindness, of mentorship, of advocacy, is a satisfying repayment and an acknowledgment of the man he has become today –a man who has forgiven himself and who defines success as the ability to build up others, “so they have that validation and can live and do right.” 

“The more I give, the more I’m getting back, because I’m seeing the difference I’m making in someone’s life,” Radee said. “It’s a two-way street. When you give, you are also getting.”