ABout

Aaron Pratt

Founder and CEO of SCARP

In 2013, had the vision to launch and direct the Second Chance Alliance Reentry Program. Aaron continues to spearhead the project. SCARP is based in Hemet, California but national in scope. His goal is to develop and advance practical and groundbreaking solutions to reentry that advance racial equity, meets the needs of those impacted by mass incarceration, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse.

Aaron earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Syracuse University. Before launching Second Chance Alliance Reentry Program, Aaron served as a Navy Seal on Seal Team 5 for nine campaigns. After discharge from the Navy, he served as a minister at Second Baptist Church of Riverside, California. Aaron owned and operated Professional Engineering of Temecula, California, and Concept Operations of Tempe, Arizona where his staff of 325 worked on military and commercial contracts. Aaron worked as a Chemical Engineer Consultant for Lockheed and Chevron Research. He is a board member of Inland Congregation United for Change, a mentorship program for young men returning from the criminal justice system.

Aaron’s life became severely impacted after serving six prison terms in both the federal and state penal systems. One term was served at the American Federal Supermax prison for male inmates located in Fremont County, Colorado. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, or the "Alcatraz of the Rockies." In 2003, Aaron paroled from Corcoran State prison with a renewed sense of purpose. Aaron desired to know what caused him to repeatedly engage in self-defeating behaviors; he vehemently pursued the knowledge required to gain leverage over those behaviors by seeking treatment from the veteran’s hospital in Loma Linda, California. There he was diagnosed with PTSD. Faced with the reality of having two children sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, he gained a passion to perform restorative justice and nonprofit work through the birthing of Second Chance Alliance Reentry Program. Aaron aligned himself with the AB109 program and volunteered at the Center for Court Innovation's Riverside Community Justice Center, where he led its programs for court-involved and recently incarcerated youth. He also designed and directed programs that teach conflict resolution through the arts in schools and juvenile detention centers; provided gang interventions; developed and implemented violence intervention, and trauma-informed care practices. Aaron continues to receive treatment from the Riverside County Behavioral Health System.

Aaron has presented at dozens of conferences nationally, including youth summits at churches to assist them in creating best practices. In 2018, SCARP was severely impacted when its Co-Founder Maymie, a Forensic Psychologist, lost a long-fought battle with Colon cancer.

Aaron has since been studying the specifics surrounding homeless vets with co-occurring disorders (COD). He has assisted the City of Riverside in a project to address homelessness in the local community, contributing to several grassroots projects to tackle this issue: Housing First Initiative, Permanent Supportive Housing Program, Veteran’s Administration Supportive Housing (VASH), and the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program (TBRA). Aaron collaborated with various organizations whose mission is to address the immediate needs of the homeless population, including One-Stop Multi-Service campus, Riverside Access Center, Riverside Emergency Shelter, “The Place”, Safe Haven Supportive Housing, and the Drop-In Center.