Emancipate NC is proud to celebrate Kerwin Pittman, our Director of Programs, longtime advocate, and founder and executive director of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services (RREPS). From his own experience with incarceration to receiving Special Congressional Recognition from U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, Kerwin’s journey is a powerful example of how lived experience can become a catalyst for meaningful change.
Kerwin has dedicated his life and work to restoring dignity, creating opportunity, and supporting people returning home from incarceration. After spending more than 11 years incarcerated, he returned home in 2018 determined to challenge the barriers that make successful reentry so difficult. Rather than allowing his past to define his future, he has used his experiences to build pathways for others.
That vision is now taking shape in an ambitious project highlighted in Nonprofit Quarterly in the article, “A Former Prison Is Becoming a Reentry Campus.” The article features Kerwin’s efforts to transform the former Wayne Correctional Center in Goldsboro, North Carolina, into a Recidivism Reduction Campus—a place designed to help people successfully transition from incarceration back into their communities.
Through RREPS, Kerwin is working to reimagine what reentry can look like. The campus represents more than a physical space for people returning home. It reflects a broader vision of coordinated support, resources, relationships, and opportunities that allow people to rebuild their lives, develop stability, and thrive. Transforming a former prison into a campus dedicated to reducing recidivism also sends a powerful message: our communities are better served when we invest in people rather than punishment.
Reflecting on his journey and the impact of his work, Kerwin shared:
“There was a time when I was rebuilding my own life after prison. Today, through RREPS, I get to help thousands of others rebuild theirs.”
He also offered an inspiring message to anyone who has been counted out or written off:
“NEVER STOP BELIEVING IN WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH YOUR STORY!”
Kerwin’s leadership at RREPS and his work as Emancipate NC’s Director of Programs reflect a shared commitment to challenging systems that criminalize and marginalize people while building pathways to healing, opportunity, and lasting change. His work embodies an essential principle of our mission: people who have experienced incarceration must be recognized not simply as individuals impacted by the criminal legal system, but as leaders, experts, and architects of the solutions needed to transform it.
His recent Special Congressional Recognition from U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen is a meaningful acknowledgment of the work he continues to do and the lives he touches. We are proud to work alongside Kerwin and celebrate the vision, determination, and leadership he brings to this work every day.
Kerwin’s story reminds us that incarceration does not define a person’s potential, and that when people with lived experience are given the opportunity and resources to lead, they can create lasting change for entire communities.
Congratulations, Kerwin! Your journey is a testament to resilience, transformation, and the power of turning lived experience into lasting impact.
Read more about Kerwin’s work: