Steven Hensley ’25

A Unique Road From Prison to Promise

Steven Hensley’s resume features the same type of glittering achievements as other Berkeley Law students: He won the president’s undergraduate medal and the College of Arts and Humanities dean’s medal at Fresno State University, co-founded a nonprofit, and held leadership positions in student organizations.

But other stops on Hensley’s path — incarceration, homelessness, hunger — were decidedly different. Just one week before being freed from prison, he learned he was not allowed to return to his county of last residence. Released to a rural county instead of going back home, he slept on a park bench in November 2016.

Hensley made the rounds at local businesses, trying to convince them to hire a homeless person who had just spent five years in prison. After eight rejections, he bargained with an employer that he’d work for free until they were convinced of his reliability. He was hired on his third day.

PATH FINDER: Steven Hensley, who spent five years in prison, won this year’s UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Award for grad student civic engagement. Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

Steven Hensley posing for a photo in the woods

Steven Hensley ’25

A Unique Road From Prison to Promise

Steven Hensley’s resume features the same type of glittering achievements as other Berkeley Law students: He won the president’s undergraduate medal and the College of Arts and Humanities dean’s medal at Fresno State University, co-founded a nonprofit, and held leadership positions in student organizations.

But other stops on Hensley’s path — incarceration, homelessness, hunger — were decidedly different. Just one week before being freed from prison, he learned he was not allowed to return to his county of last residence. Released to a rural county instead of going back home, he slept on a park bench in November 2016.

Hensley made the rounds at local businesses, trying to convince them to hire a homeless person who had just spent five years in prison. After eight rejections, he bargained with an employer that he’d work for free until they were convinced of his reliability. He was hired on his third day.

PATH FINDER: Steven Hensley, who spent five years in prison, won this year’s UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Award for grad student civic engagement. Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

“I got paid less than minimum wage, but it was enough to keep me alive,” Hensley says. “I continued to sleep on the park bench while I worked and saved up money. Before long, it was clear that I’d need to take another step forward.”

Arrested at 17, his road to redemption was paved by Project Rebound, a California State University system program that helps people reintegrate into the education system. While 62% of California inmates released in 2017 and 2018 returned to prison by the end of 2019, no Project Rebound students recidivated from 2016 to 2020.

Hensley secured a transfer to Fresno, where the program is based. He got a new job, took some community college courses, and eventually enrolled at Fresno State, where he excelled academically and led initiatives focused on decriminalizing poverty.

“I chose to attend Berkeley Law because it’s one of the few institutions that values my experience as a formerly incarcerated person.”

“In 2020, I co-founded a nonprofit to connect formerly incarcerated youth to employment and educational opportunities and I co-chaired the ACLU’s Fresno chapter,” Hensley says. “In that role, I worked to stop law enforcement from conducting illegal sweeps of homeless encampments.”

Elected to the ACLU of Northern California’s board of directors, he’s continued his fervent advocacy at Berkeley — recently winning the university’s prestigious Chancellor’s Award for grad- uate student civic engagement, which honors a student who demonstrates exceptional commitment to advancing social change through public service.

Hensley has faced other daunting challenges. While studying for the Law School Admissions Test, he lost a friend to a hit-and-run accident, his sister gave birth to a child dependent on heroin, and his grandmother died of a fentanyl overdose. Nevertheless, he scored in the 96th percentile and now brings a unique perspective to his classrooms and classmates.

“I strive to represent the lived experience of those impacted by incarceration and poverty,” Hensley says. “I chose to attend Berkeley Law because it’s one of the few institutions that values my experience as a formerly incarcerated person and because it can prepare me to combat societal injustices. It’s crucial to give a voice to those who have experienced the harsh realities of our criminal legal system.” — Andrew Cohen

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