- The challenges that individuals are facing as adults are most often rooted in what happened as a child.

- [Jason] Charles Hunt is what you might call part counselor and part teacher.

- Your job and your responsibility is to provide that healing for that little girl and for that little boy inside you.

- [Jason] Imparting knowledge, wisdom, and hopefully, a little perspective.

- That's your responsibility.

To fix and to heal what was broken within you, 'cause nobody else can do it.

- [Jason] His students, though, aren't here to learn math, science, or a trade, but skills to navigate in the game of life.

- I built an amazing life for myself, and then life happened and it all collapsed.

And if I feel like I need to start it over, I have the power to do that.

You have the power to do that.

- It is pretty intense, it's emotional.

You know, a lot of people that have a justice-related background have severe trauma in their history.

- My past is not my future.

My past, not me.

- Don't ever fall into the trap of thinking that because of my advanced age, because of these things that I've experienced, because of my incarceration, because of the relationships that I've messed up in the past, that I can't start over.

- [Jason] Starting over is what this class and program is all about.

- The Restorative Pathways program began in 2021 with a charge from our CEO, Gene Woods, who asked us to become a fair chance hiring employer.

- [Jason] And what that means is giving people a second chance, specifically former prisoners, or as they call them, justice-involved individuals.

- I noticed when I came home, it was very hard for me to get a job or I would get great jobs, but by the time my background check came, they was like, "I'm sorry, Ms. Robinson, we're not gonna be able to hire you."

- We try to emphasize to our participants in this program, you are not your past.

It happened, you served your time, the justice system gave you this punishment.

That is complete now.

And we do feel like employment is a way to help them put that past behind them and really move forward.

- They really were excited about giving an opportunity to have a second chance when everyone closed the door, saying, "No, you can't work for us."

"Oh, there's something that popped up on your background."

"No, we're not gonna take a chance."

- [Jason] Candidate pools of roughly 75 people are first narrowed down by Atrium's partner, local nonprofit, City Startup Labs, to about 25.

- Once we get that information, we have a committee made of our security staff, our legal team, our HR business partners, teammate relations, who we all come together and really evaluate each individual on a case by case basis to decide, will they go forward or not?

By law, there are just some roles and some offenses that we cannot hire as a healthcare organization, and so we automatically screen out those individuals.

- [Jason] Atrium then selects the finalists, who are then registered into the program.

- So we have about two to three cohorts per year, and each cohort has anywhere between 10 to 15 teammates included in it.

- And now I'm at a point where I am okay with shaking this thing up and starting over.

And crafting what do I want the next part of my journey to look like?

What do I want the next part of my life to look like?

- You learn a lot about yourself and how to put your best foot forward.

- Do's and don'ts to do on the job, how to interact with your supervisor, how to approach a supervisor, how to interact with your coworkers as well as the patients, or whoever your customer may be.

- [Jason] Alicia Johnson of Gastonia is just one of the program's many success stories.

She served her time after getting caught up with a not-so-good person.

- I ended up getting charged with conspiracy and I served eight and a half years in state prison.

- [Jason] Thrilled to get a second chance at life, Alicia finished the program and landed a job as a hospitality coordinator.

- I can and I will have a career and be successful.

- [Jason] It's a similar story for Avery Robinson of Monroe.

- I came from a strict household, so when it was time to leave the nest, I just wanted to fly and be free.

So I ended up getting in trouble.

People say, "I never thought in a million years, not you, you would get in trouble."

And I was dating a bad guy.

I was and I got tangled up in his mess.

I did a year and a half in the county and a year and a half in the Department of Corrections.

- [Jason] After completion of the program, Avery now serves as a guest services specialist.

- I check in maternity patients, I help patients in and out of their vehicles.

We give directions.

I shuttle, I've also transported patients home to rehab facilities, from rehab to here.

- [Jason] The Restorative Pathways program is still relatively new, but so far, the success rate, perfect.

Every single graduate has landed employment with an Atrium system, 100%.

- This is one of those projects I told my leader, "Listen, you can take me off every project I'm on.

Let me stay on with the Restorative Pathways because this is hard work."

Not only is hard work, I feel like I'm fulfilling a mission, a life mission to help someone, you know, that need a second chance because everyone does not get a second chance in life.

- My daughters, they're 20 and 11, and their names are Jade and Justice.

They kept telling me, "Mama, I'm so proud of you.

I'm sorry, y'all."

(Avery sobbing)