(BOP) - In the Bureau of Prisons (the Bureau or BOP) preparation for reentry begins on the first day of incarceration. At the agency's recent wardens' conference, Dominic "Chip" Henry provided a unique perspective, based on first hand-experience, regarding the Bureau's approach to reentry and the impact it has on offenders' lives.
Dominic Henry spoke about the path he was on in 1981, as a 20-year-old following in his father's footsteps, when he was sentenced to prison for murder. Ultimately, he would commit two more murders and be sentenced to a total of 40 years to life. His actions inside prison resulted in his transfer to the United States Penitentiary in Marion, IL, the highest security prison in the federal system at the time.
Several events at Marion led to Mr. Henry undergoing a gradual and sustained journey of personal transformation: "I remember getting a visit from my girlfriend and my youngest daughter," Henry said. "I came out in my orange jumpsuit and belly chains and my daughter started crying and said, 'My daddy is a monster.' That was a critical moment for me."
Henry took advantage of various reentry program opportunities, including psychology courses offered through a local college. His general outlook and behavior began to improve significantly as he applied what he was learning from the courses and from staff.
After a transfer to USP Allenwood, Henry continued to take advantage of educational opportunities, completing courses in Life Skills, and Public Speaking, among others. The support of the warden and other staff helped Henry further his transformation as he began developing and teaching courses for inmates. Soon, he and other inmates began teaching classes to more than 300 eager inmate participants. Despite Mr. Henry's extensive and violent criminal history, both in and out of prison, staff recognized the change he had undergone, and transferred him to a lower security institution. At FCI Otisville, Mr. Henry continued his work and began developing college-level courses, vocational programs and a 12-week leadership training academy for young men under the concept of Community Economic Development (CED). The staff at Otisville supported Henry in building CED into a certified inmate organization. He continued his work with the inmate organization he built, creating additional courses, recruiting inmate leaders, and connecting community organizations to support the many reentry initiatives.
After serving nearly 35 years in prison, Henry was released in March 2016. He now works as a Program Coordinator with the Washington, DC Mayor's Office on Returning Citizen Affairs. While providing the wardens "a look in the mirror," at the recent conference, Mr. Henry said he appreciated the dedication of Bureau staff at each of the institutions where he served time. He also credited the reentry programs the Bureau offers, and the dedication of the staff administering them, as key to his own successful transition back to the community. Henry proudly proclaims he is "what's good about the BOP."