What happens after someone leaves prison is often far less visible than the crime that sent them there.
That question became the focus of Quinsigamond Community College criminal justice professor Kristy Glover’s sabbatical project, a documentary exploring the realities of re-entry through the voices of people who have lived it.
Glover produced, filmed and edited “Voices of Justice,” a documentary featuring three men with firsthand experience navigating life after incarceration. According to a QCC announcement, the film examines the challenges of re-entry while highlighting the role that family, community organizations, probation officers and educational opportunities can play in helping people successfully rebuild their lives.
“There are so many things that we expect of individuals when they’re just getting released. They have to get a job, pay their monthly supervision fees and find a place to live,” Glover said in the announcement.
The project draws on both Glover’s professional and personal experiences. Before joining QCC, she worked as a parole officer in Georgia, where she witnessed the challenges many formerly incarcerated people faced after their release. The issue also touched her family directly, as her grandfather struggled after leaving prison, an experience that influenced both Glover and her mother, who later became a police captain.
Among those featured in the documentary is Mario Rivera, who discusses the support he received from Worcester-area organizations, including Legendary Legacies and Open Sky Community Services. Rivera said counseling, assistance obtaining a laptop and hygiene products, and encouragement from family members helped him establish a foundation after his release.
“Without initial help in the first 60 days of me coming home, my progress wouldn’t have taken off the way it did,” Rivera said in the announcement.
Rivera also credits education with helping change the course of his life. While incarcerated, he completed QCC’s culinary re-entry program, a partnership with the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction that prepares participants for careers in food service through hands-on training and industry certifications. After his release, he enrolled at QCC and later joined Clark University’s Liberal Arts for Returning Citizens program.
“The culinary program has had a significant impact on hundreds of incarcerated individuals,” Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis said in the announcement. “We are proud to have helped Mario build a successful path forward after incarceration.”
Rivera also praised QCC Hospitality and Culinary Program Manager Donna McCabe for helping students discover new possibilities through the program.
“Donna McCabe became one of my biggest inspirations. She allowed us to find a new way of therapy through food. And then eventually we earned certificates that allowed us to work,” Rivera said.
Another participant, Anthony Bryant, offers a different perspective. Before serving time himself, Bryant worked in law enforcement as a corrections officer, deputy sheriff and highway patrolman. He describes the emotional impact of losing not only his freedom but also the professional identity that had defined much of his life.
“Law enforcement is not just a job; it’s your identity. And losing that role can produce deep internal shame,” Bryant said in the announcement.
Bryant said he prepared for his release by reading self-help books and journaling because he did not receive formal re-entry preparation while incarcerated. Afterward, he found employment assistance programs often directed him toward manual labor jobs that did not reflect his previous experience or skills.
Both Bryant and Rivera say meaningful relationships with probation or parole officers can help people succeed after incarceration, while the stigma associated with having a criminal record often remains one of the greatest barriers to rebuilding a life.
“People change when their dignity is restored, responsibility is entrusted gradually and their story is allowed to mean something more than their worst decision,” Bryant said in the announcement. “It’s a mindset shift that many people and legislators don’t understand.”
Today, both men continue working to help others facing similar challenges. Bryant serves as an ethics trainer for law enforcement and public service organizations, while Rivera remains involved with Legendary Legacies, mentoring others and advocating for people navigating re-entry.
“I’m taking accountability in my own life for the things that I’ve done,” Rivera said in the announcement. “Some people might not be receptive to my situation, but I take it as motivation to do better.”
Voices of Justice is available to watch on YouTube.
