How does a guy who was released in August 2021 have over 1 million TikTok followers? Well, meet Jesse Crossen. Jesse, says he found cocaine in 2002, combined with alcohol and insecurity he went from a kid graduating high school to strung out and barely hanging on. Just after his 18th birthday he committed a robbery and a crazy argument that ended up with a shooting. He was arrested feeling a sense of relief that someone stopped him because he couldn't stop himself. The upper range of his sentencing was 16 years and the judge doubled that. Jesse was crushed, but he put his life together in prison with love and support from his family. He received a Bachelor's degree, became a journeyman electrician, wrote articles for publication, and found a new way forward. On August 16th 2021 the governor of Virginia granted Jesse a conditional pardon commuting the rest of his sentence, and was released immediately. Since being released he started the Second Chancer Foundation to provide services to people getting out of prison. He has an incredible following on TikTok discussing his life experiences. I think his followers are drawn to his raw honesty of how he has survived.
