Meet Jermaine Wilson of Leavenworth, Ks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jermaine Wilson.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in an environment where drugs, crime, and incarceration were normal. In my neighborhood, going to jail felt like something passed down from generation to generation. I was the youngest of four children, and although my parents made us go to church, my big brother and I became more rebellious as we got older.

From a young age, I struggled with insecurity and acceptance. People made fun of me, and I didn’t know where I fit. By age 11, I had tried marijuana. By age 12, I committed my first crime. And by 15, I participated in a robbery, attempted to escape, and was sentenced to four years in juvenile corrections. While in juvy, instead of finding myself, I searched for acceptance in all the wrong places, joining a gang and sinking deeper into the life I thought I had to live.

When I completed my sentence, I returned to the same community, surrounded myself with the same people, and repeated the same cycles. It didn’t take long before I was selling and using drugs. A year after my release, I became a father—young, unprepared, and afraid of responsibility. Instead of stepping up, I ran deeper into the streets, choosing a lifestyle that couldn’t love me back.

Just 18 months after leaving juvenile corrections, I caught a drug charge and was sentenced to three years in prison. But this time, something inside me shifted. While behind those walls, I realized that if I wanted something different, I had to become someone different. I joined a Christian prison organization, gave my life to Jesus, and everything changed.

It took me losing my freedom to discover my purpose. I made a decision that I wouldn’t just serve time—I would let time serve me. I educated myself, became disciplined, devoured John Maxwell leadership books, and wrote down my goals. I told myself that when I was released, I would be a leader. I would be a father. I would be a faithful husband. And I would return to help people who were incarcerated, just like me.

During that season, God began restoring my family. By the time I walked out of prison, my family was waiting for me—and my son was now three years old. I was released from prison on December 9, 2010, and I knew my second chance had to mean something.

I got married, found a church community, and invested everything I learned back into my city. Once I completed parole, I returned as a mentor to the very prison where I once served time. I became a mentor in the schools and at the same juvenile facility I had tried to escape years earlier. I founded Unity in the Community Movement, a nonprofit focused on building bridges and restoring trust between citizens and law enforcement.

Through consistent service and commitment to transformation, God opened doors I never imagined. My criminal record was expunged, giving me the opportunity to run for public office. And on January 8, 2019—just nine years after walking out of prison—I was sworn in as the Mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas.

From a childhood surrounded by generational incarceration to standing in leadership for my city, my life is proof of what God can do. My story is not about where I started—it’s about where grace, purpose, and perseverance carried me.
Today, I currently serve as the Mission Ambassador for Prison Fellowship and motivational speaker. I am a father of five beautiful children and a proud grandpa of two granddaughters. Every day, I strive to be the man I needed when I was younger and to use my story to bring hope, restoration, and purpose to others.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I had to overcome growing up in an environment where drugs, crime, and incarceration were normal. I battled deep insecurities, rejection, and the pressure to fit in. I faced early exposure to drugs, committed crimes at a young age, and spent years in juvenile corrections searching for acceptance in all the wrong places.

I overcame the cycle of returning to the same community, the same people, and the same destructive habits. Becoming a young father while still trapped in the street life brought fear, confusion, and avoidance of responsibility.

I had to overcome addiction, gang involvement, and a second prison sentence that forced me to confront who I truly wanted to be. Inside prison, I battled hopelessness, guilt, and the weight of generational patterns that felt impossible to break.

I overcame the challenge of rebuilding my life after incarceration—earning trust, restoring my family, finding my identity in Christ, and proving through actions that transformation was real. I fought through the stigma of a criminal record, the doubts of others, and the pressure of leading with integrity while giving back to the same community I once harmed.

And through God’s grace, discipline, and consistency, I overcame every barrier meant to stop me—and turned those obstacles into my purpose.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I serve as the Mission Ambassador for Prison Fellowship, traveling across the nation to share the transformative work of the ministry, advocate for second chances, speak inside prisons, share the Gospel message of Jesus, and bring hope to those who feel hopeless through my story.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I served two years as Mayor and 6 years as Leavenworth City Commissioner after I was released from Prison. My story has been featured on several National Television shows. My story was featured twice with On The Road with Steve Hartman.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jermainewilson.org
• Instagram: jermaine_wilson87
• Facebook: Jermaine Wilson (Second Chance Mayor)
• LinkedIn: Jermaine Wilson