Tanaine Jenkins - Recidivism Strategist and Reentry Expert

03/31/2026

I’ve been holding this one close to my chest…

2026 Law & Justice Champion.

Four years ago, when I decided to start speaking, I didn’t fully know what that meant or what it would look like. I just knew something about what I had experienced in the criminal legal system wasn’t right.

Someone had to say something or do something. God told me that someone was me.

When I told Jenn Weeks what I was thinking about ahs listened but she didn’t know what it would look like either. Truthfully, she had never even heard the word recidivism until she met me. lol

But that didn’t stop her from believing in me and gifting me my domain, TanaineJenkins.com, for Christmas.

Find you people who will support you.
Who will invest in you.
Who will see something in you before the world does.

Thanks Jenn Jenn!

Tomorrow, April 1st, marks the start of National "Second Chance" Month.

It’s also the anniversary when I was released.
And the month of my birth and rebirth.

I don’t celebrate my sentence…
I celebrate everything that came after.

Growth.
Perseverance.
Unlearning.
Becoming.

And this April, I have something else to celebrate—

Being named an honoree at the 2026 National Returning Citizens Conference.

I am beyond grateful for every person who has been a part of this journey… good, bad or indifferent.

And to everyone who has ever felt like there voice doesn't matter and you will never see the other side... this one is for all of us.

💛

03/12/2026

City of Jacksonville has always been a city of chapters for me.

It’s where I grew up.

Where I graduated high school.
Where I raised my right hand and left for the military.

It’s also where my life took a turn I never imagined.

Years later, it became the city where I stood on the TEDx stage and told my story of self-forgiveness... a moment that helped me find my voice.

And now I’m honored to be speaking at the 6th Annual National Returning Citizens Conference, right here in Jacksonville, Florida.

My session, “The Second Sentence: Breaking Invisible Barriers to Reentry Success,” will focus on the challenges people face long after they have served their time — the barriers that follow them into employment, housing, and opportunity.

Because the second sentence isn’t written by a judge…

It’s written by employers who won’t look twice at an application, even when someone is more than qualified to do the work.

It’s written by media narratives that group millions of people into one story.

It’s written by a society that judges the book by its cover before reading the first page.

The Second Sentence is lived every day by millions of people trying to rebuild their lives.

There’s something powerful about doing this work in the same city where so many of your life’s defining moments happened.

Jacksonville raised me.

And now I get to help change the conversation here.

02/04/2026

I’m incredibly grateful to The Apopka Chief for featuring my recent visit to Apopka and the conversations we started around criminal justice reform.

This trip was all about listening... hearing from local leaders and residents about what’s needed to help people successfully return to their communities after incarceration, find meaningful work, and build a life with dignity. It was inspiring to connect with advocates like Clinton Stanley and so many thoughtful voices invested in real, lasting change.

Our work with Reform Alliance and the Florida Safety Coalition remains rooted in people... what they’re telling us, what they’re experiencing, and how policy can better reflect their needs. From conversations about occupational licensing to parole system reform, I’m energized by the collaboration and hope I felt in every meeting.

Thank you, Apopka, for the warm welcome. Excited to keep building and growing these conversations with local leaders and community members! 🌱

👉 Full article: https://theapopkachief.com/criminal-justice-reform-advocate-visits-apopka-to-jumpstart-talks/

Reform Alliance focuses on probation and parole reform.