This month, all across the country, people are donning caps and gowns and celebrating an important milestone: Graduating from college.

For James Severe, who just graduated from the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports, & Entertainment at Long Island University, this occasion is especially meaningful. Not too long ago, the hope of becoming a college graduate felt beyond reach – his future seemingly stolen by a flawed supervision system.

Long before he ever imagined graduating from college, James Severe’s young adulthood was marked by a string of legal troubles – forgery, a marijuana charge, and a burglary where the items taken included a stick of butter, ground beef, and a game console. Although none involved violence or physical harm, these mistakes led him through years of probation, house arrest, and ultimately, incarceration.

After two years in prison, James was released on parole in April 2018. He was determined to build a new life.

He enrolled full-time at Nassau Community College and excelled academically, even earning a spot on the dean’s list. He played college football and worked two jobs to pay his way through school. He landed an unpaid internship at a sports management company, a step toward his dreams of working in the sports and entertainment industry. (The internship had to be unpaid because of a parole condition stipulating that he couldn’t hold more than two jobs.) He hoped to transfer to City College of New York to complete his undergraduate degree and eventually pursue a master’s.

And then a traffic incident halted his momentum.

On his way to an overnight job, Severe got pulled over for running a red light, only to then find that there was a warrant out for his arrest for violating parole. But how? Severe knew he had adhered to all of his conditions. He hadn’t gotten into any trouble. He was logging calls into the automated reporting system that his parole officer (P.O.) used to keep tabs on him. But unbeknownst to Severe, his P.O. had retired. A new one had been assigned, but no one notified Severe. He fell through the bureaucratic cracks, and his automated check-ins were no longer reaching the correct officer.

He received a violation for failing to check in. At his parole hearing, he had no legal representation and faced no judge; the decision to re-incarcerate him was made solely at the parole board’s discretion. Despite presenting letters, grades, and W2s to demonstrate his progress and explain the miscommunication, he was locked back up.

He spent five months incarcerated, first at Rikers Island, then in an upstate New York facility, all because of a technical violation stemming from miscommunication. His progress vanished overnight; he lost an entire semester, the money he paid for school, his housing, his employment, and his chance to graduate on time. No one from the state ever acknowledged the error or offered an apology for the ordeal.

It’s hard to imagine what public safety benefit was achieved by incarcerating a striving, hopeful college student who had committed no new crime.

After James was released in April 2021, he moved back in with his parents, saving up enough to get his own place. He saw that Roc Nation, an American entertainment company founded by JAY-Z, was launching a new program at Long Island University (LIU), offering a special degree in sports and entertainment management. Severe saw it as his opportunity to get back to fulfilling his dreams. He gathered his transcripts, his finances, and his courage and applied.

He got in, and he went back to school – believing, despite it all, that his tomorrow could be better than his yesterday. He completed parole in 2022. He also connected with REFORM Alliance, sharing his story in the hopes of improving our probation and parole systems so that others might be spared what he went through.

In March of 2024, he landed a dream internship at Roc Nation, in their TV & Film division. Less than a year later, he was hired full-time, working as a TV and film coordinator. And last week, he finally got to wear the cap and gown when he graduated from the Roc Nation School of Music Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University. He got to experience a moment he’ll never forget – receiving his diploma while his beaming family looked on with pride.

James Severe alongside his parents and sister celebrating his graduation from the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports, & Entertainment at Long Island University.

For anyone who wonders whether second chances are possible, James Severe is your answer. We’re so proud to call him a friend and REFORMer.

Congratulations, James! We can’t wait to see what you do next.