After Dwayne was paroled following 25 years in prison for a crime he committed when he was 16, he reunited with his girlfriend, Chastity, and his son, also named Dwayne, who was born shortly after he was incarcerated.
Now the 43-year-old father is also a stepfather, a grandfather to three young girls, 7, 5, and 2, and grateful every day for the life he has created. He appreciates the simple things – the home he recently purchased, fishing, the dog he recently adopted and most importantly time with his family. He is surrounded by women and happiest when they just let him know what they need him to do and what time he needs to show up.
“I have two older sisters, three granddaughters, my mom, cousins, aunts,” Dwayne said. “I have one uncle so all aunts. They all take care of me and help me. They all played a significant role in my life. They just tell me what to do and I’m good with that.”
On a warm Saturday in November, a few hours before Bama beat LSU, Dwayne was counting the fish he had caught that morning – two redfish, six bass, five speckled trout, one flounder, two sheepshead, and one drum. His weeks are busy. His two-month-old bull terrier puppy, Joey, was at his feet and he was looking forward to his family coming over on Sunday.
It’s a different life from the one he lived behind bars. He works between 70 and 80 hours per week as a pipefitter for North American Shipbuilding (NAS) in Larose, where he lives. He recently traveled to Florida to help with hurricane recovery. He takes pride in his work, which is noticed by those he works for.
“He is a really good employee,” said Raymond Hernandez, NAS pipe foreman and Dwayne’s supervisor. “He comes to work every day, and he does everything we ask him to do and even goes out of the way to do good. He is definitely an asset to the company.”
Dwayne has cropped brown hair, a serious expression, and is short and stocky. He has a thick, clipped Cajun accent and would fit in well with the gator hunters from the History Channel’s “Swamp People.” He is from Lafourche Parish, which is about 65 miles south of New Orleans. French for “the fork,” Lafourche makes up the part of the Louisiana boot that looks like it’s dipping its toe into the Gulf of Mexico. Anchored by Thibodaux (up da bayou) and Port Fourchon (down da bayou), Lafourche Parish is known for its expansive sugar cane fields, beautiful wetlands and Cajun culture. Swamp tours are one of the main attractions of Lafourche.
When he was first released from prison, Dwayne was nervous about the world he was reentering because things were so different, especially technology, he said.
“I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, I was a little paranoid about all that technology and banking. Back when I was growing up it was simple — you get some gas and get some change,” he said. “Parole Project supported me and helped me out. They supported me and showed me how to get a credit card, create a financial system and build credit.”
Dwayne moved back home about six months after his release. Now surrounded by his family, he secured the pipefitting job and rebuilt his life, and he is proud of what he has created.
“I reunited with my son, and I live a simple life. Work, fishing, family, my girlfriend. I love to cook for my family,” he said. “I cook gumbo, hamburger steak wrapped with bacon. I love having my family over and spending time with my granddaughters, taking them fishing. The first time I took them, they had a blast, dancing and fishing. I don’t do too much, and I’m happy. I’m not big on events or fairs. Our life really revolves around them.”
He defines success by the life he has built and the family that surrounds him. He is no longer the teenager who entered prison more than 25 years ago.
“I started off wrong, but I’m finishing the right way,” he said.
He now spends his spare time helping others, telling stories about his journey, his second chance, and his faith. If he could go back and tell his younger self one thing, he would say “Listen to your mom and your girlfriend.”
