Caroline Caldwell | They Paid Their Time, Now What?

Did you know that states base the number of prison cells they need on the number of failing 3rd grade boys? This and many other facts about a quiet part of our society, our prison systems, are brought to light by Caroline Caldwell. There are a number of paradoxes for convicted offenders. After they do their time, they are faced with a plethora of requirements that are often impossible to meet.

Re-entering convicts are required to be in multiple places — often at distant places a short time apart — yet there is very limited public transportation. Drug convictions bar formerly incarcerated people from receiving any federal student aid, obliterating any hope of a college education. “Why are we hell bent on making people pay for the rest of their lives?” Caroline asks. “We set the price, and they paid the price. But we bounced the check.”

About Caroline

Caroline is a 2013 YWCA Woman of Achievement recipient who, as a Dream Achiever, was honored for making significant contributions to her family, friends, and community — all while running a non-profit organization, New Mind Health and Care, which focuses on human potential by providing reentry services and second chances to families and individuals who have been affected by incarceration. She has formulated a behavioral modification strategy that works holistically with families and individuals for successful reentry, addressing behaviors to abate recidivism and build family relations/support with a strong emphasis on work force development for quality of life for the entire family unit.

Caroline is a practicing clinician with 20 years’ experience and a former federal officer with the United States Probation Office. A transplant from New Jersey, she has made SC her home for the past 7 years and volunteers for the Upstate Mediation Center, The Julie Valentine Center, Soteria CDC, the YWCA, and the United Way.