Remembering a Champion of Second Chances
“The quality of a civilization is measured by the degree of its empathy and belief in redemption.”
— Jeff Evangelos (1952-2026)
April is Second Chances Month, so I want to reflect on the greatest champion of second chances I have known in my life: former Maine Rep. Jeffrey P. Evangelos. To anyone trying to address him as “Representative” or “Mister” Evangelos, he’d say, “Just call me Jeff.” There was too much good work that needed to be done to waste time on formalities.
Jeff was a deeply passionate person driven by love for his fellow human beings to do what was right, just, and supportive of building a better world for his children and grandchildren. No time to waste. Yet as quietly tender as his heart was, he didn’t fight to move mountains of inequity and injustice to be liked. He would laugh jovially as he recounted infuriating an ideological opponent who just didn’t get it. And, yes, there were plenty who didn’t get it.
“It’s just so simple!” Jeff would exclaim. The sovereignty of Native Americans should be honored; sick people should have health care; poor people shouldn’t starve or be unhoused; and the so-called “justice system” should be just. So very simple, yet somehow, also so politically unpopular — especially when it came to talking about second chances for incarcerated people. “We all screw up, and don’t we want a second chance to make things right when we do?” he’d say.
In the days leading up to his passing this winter, I asked Jeff why the fight for second chances was so important to him. He replied, “Many of our incarcerated individuals made a terrible mistake when they were young. We shouldn’t take their lives for that. Once they’ve proven they’ve done the work to change and be safe in community, they should be given a second chance.” After a brief pause, he continued: “I believe in redemption, in second chances. A society that doesn’t offer second chances doesn’t believe in redemption. That’s a dark place to be. I don’t want that.”
Jeff then added, “It doesn’t make sense to be offering college programs in our prisons and then not letting these changed people come home and use that education to contribute to society.” To Jeff, the best solutions just make sense. Don’t overcomplicate things. Do what does the most good for the most people, and give special care and attention to those in greatest need. Simple.
Jeff taught me well. He walked in honor, integrity, brutal honesty, and unrelenting love. He fought right up to his last breath, keeping his heart focused on those considered least in our society. He held to his code of loving integrity, keeping his word even when it hurt (Psalm 15:4). Jeff was one of those rare human beings who seemed to check all the boxes on the unattainable list I use to measure where I stand in faith and in life: Psalm 15. I pray God sees what I was blessed to see in Jeff: one who may abide in God’s tabernacle and dwell on His holy hill.
Knowing Jeff has helped make me a better human being, partner, family member, and community member. I had the blessing of speaking with his wife, Ms. Harolyn, at the Maine State Prison branch of the NAACP’s Martin Luther King commemoration event at the end of January, and again at the celebration of Jeff’s life held last month at the prison. She gifted me with a glimpse into the depth of Jeff’s authenticity. In a voice filled with tenderness and pain over the devastating reality of her husband’s death, she told me, “Just the other day, he was telling me how funny it was that some of his best friends lived here at Maine State Prison.”
Jeff wasn’t a particularly large man, but his heart and his presence were monumental. While an untold number of us will miss him dearly, no one will feel his daily absence like his beloved and faithful wife. In his many trips to the prison, whether to provide individual support or attend NAACP events like these, Jeff would readily honor Harolyn as a key source of his strength and his ability to endure so much hardship and struggle in his pursuit of justice and fairness for all.
While we grieve Jeff’s passing, and work to carry forward his legacy of loving advocacy and activism, may we also hold Harolyn in love, prayer, and strength. May we honor the life and legacy of Jeff Evangelos by doing what is right, caring for others, believing in redemption, and creating meaningful opportunities for second chances when people make terrible decisions, especially when they are young.
May Jeff rest in peace and power, living on in our hearts and minds, and in the good works of our hands.
Leo Hylton is a PhD student at George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, currently incarcerated at Maine State Prison. His education and work are focused on Social Justice Advocacy and Activism, with a vision toward an abolitionist future. You can reach him at: Leo Hylton #70199, 807 Cushing Rd., Warren, ME 04864, or leoshininglightonhumanity@gmail.com.