A New Day for Second Chances: Faith, Redemption, and the Path to Reintegration

A New Day 1 is a compelling short documentary film that follows the journeys of three returning citizens who face the challenges of reintegration after incarceration. Despite having strong support systems, they encounter significant barriers in employment and housing, highlighting the harsh reality of the “second prison.” 

Following the screening, Sammy Perez, Prison Fellowship’s Senior Director of Grassroots and Reintegration, will facilitate an interactive discussion to further engage with the film’s themes and consider faith-based policy-driven solutions that help returning citizens rebuild their lives with dignity.

Sammy Perez serves Prison Fellowship’s Advocacy team by building and mobilizing a network of people passionate about justice that restores. Perez equips Prison Fellowship’s Justice Advocates and Justice Ambassadors in the U.S. to raise awareness about criminal justice reform and improve the criminal justice system through strategies including digital advocacy, constituent lobbying, media engagement, and storytelling. After rediscovering faith in Christ, Perez, who has spent time in prison, overcame his past and began to serve others impacted by crime and incarceration. His writing has been published in Shared Justice and several regional Virginia outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch and NoVa News. Perez was reappointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Prevention in the Commonwealth.

Perez graduated from Liberty University with a degree in psychology, specializing in addiction and recovery, and a master’s degree in professional counseling. His expertise is focused on organizing and coaching Christians to pursue justice and reentry for people returning from prison. Perez is an adjunct professor at the Catholic University of America and enjoys life with his lovely wife and four children.