About Me Story-Shad Hagan

I’m excited to be a member of the Medium platform and share a little bit about myself.

I am a native Oklahoman with expertise in Criminal Justice and Corrections. I believe in bringing the voices of justice-impacted people not only to the table but also to let them actually speak. I am also a member of the LGBT community, live in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and have been married to my husband for 7 years.

I am a childhood trauma survivor of SA and served time in both state and federal prison for multiple non-violent charges. I served approximately 5 years between Federal and State prisons.

After prison, I worked as a Paralegal in a Federal Criminal Defense law firm for 2 years, and the man who represented me in federal court before I went to prison gave me that opportunity. Opportunity can be a game changer. This set a different trajectory for me, and I enrolled in college.

While in college, I worked part-time in a sandwich shop and eventually became the General Manager, leaving my job with the law office. Subsequently, I held other management positions in the restaurant and hospitality business up until 2018.

In 2018, I decided to enroll back in college to obtain my Associate degree, which I completed in 2019. After having difficulty finding a new job in my community because of my record, I decided to pursue a Bachelor's degree.

In Oklahoma, people with felony convictions cannot be admitted to a bachelor's program absent extensive documentation/background at most colleges. I applied to Oklahoma State University, but they requested more documentation and better explanations for my criminal history 16 years ago. It seemed constant!

Eventually, I called Oklahoma State University and told them to forget it. I was tired of being subjected to the abuse. I wanted an education, not a trial. The school acted as if I wanted to take out student loans and enroll to murder someone. It was nonsensical. The University Campus is open and accessible to the public.

I was calling colleges in Oklahoma, trying to figure out what to do, and then it was like a bolt of lightning that struck me. Langston! I went to the HBCU, Langston University, and told them I was a felon and wanted to be admitted. I know this sounds crazy, but I thought if I went to Langston, they would understand about discrimination and bias, and they did.

The Admissions person sent me over to speak with the director, and a short time later, I was admitted. An oral explanation and background history were enough to allow entry. In 2021, I received my Bachelor's degree in Corrections (Summa Cum Laude.)

After graduation, I received my certification as a Behavioral Health Case Manager. I worked in a drug treatment facility for a while but had a strong passion for doing more. I left my job and decided I wanted to work for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Given that I had a criminal record, I was unsure if this was possible.

While attending a NABCJ conference in Oklahoma, where the woman who prosecuted me was the keynote speaker and a wonderful lady. I visited with her and met Scott Crow, who was then director of ODOC. Mr. Crow asked former employees to return and encouraged new people to apply. ODOC was experiencing a staff shortage. I spoke to Mr. Crow and told him my qualifications, and he encouraged me to apply and said he believed in second chances. I could not be an officer, but I could be a case manager. He asked me to send him my resume and an e-mail, and I did just that!

However, I had to get hired by a facility and then contact him. Our state jobs do not ask about criminal history until you are offered a job. I had 2 interviews, and at Dick Conner Correctional Facility, I was selected. It took a lot of calls and staying on top of several people in different places, but after 2 months, I was cleared. The Director of ODOC signed off.

I will write about my experience working at ODOC in the future, which was quite an experience. I left because I was asked to engage in criminal conduct, which was reported. However, it was clear we had philosophical differences other than that. I was trying to rehabilitate and help people, and that is not the culture at ODOC. I want to say I worked with many great people in every job description, and others were as worthless as teats on a boar hog!

I completed my M.S. in Criminal Justice while working full-time at the ODOC. It has been a long journey.

Originally published on Medium