Ray Boyd

In November 2021, Ray was released from the Connecticut Department of Corrections. He was incarcerated at the age of 19 and served 30 years. During his incarceration, Ray co-founded 2 programs. In 2015, he co-founded the Skills of Socialization (S.O.S.) program at the Osborn Correctional Institute, and in 2018, he co-founded the T.R.U.E. Reentry program at the Cheshire Correctional Institute. This innovative program was the subject of a segment that aired on 60 Minutes. In April 2022, Ray was a presenter of Restorative Justice Practices at the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) in Chicago, Illinois.

Since his release, Ray has worked at Lewis Real Estate Services and Yale New Haven Health. He currently volunteers his time as a Board Member of CT Stop Solitary Confinement and advocates for second chances for offenders. Ray also volunteers his time with the United States Department of Justice as a speaker with Project Safe Neighborhoods. Additionally, he lends his lived experience to Odyssey Impact as an Expert Contributor to the documentaries “Second Shot” by Andrew Michael Ellis and “All I See is My Future” by Nancy Dionne. The films are part of a national campaign to bring awareness to social injustices here in America and abroad.

Ray is the author of “The Model Inmate,” which explores his time of incarceration. Writing a book has afforded Ray the opportunity to travel around the country to speak with at-risk youth and others. In 2022, Ray was invited by the city of Miami to take part in an Authors, Arts & Jazz Festival in the Historic Coconut Grove section of Miami, Florida. In February 2023, he was invited down to the nation's capital to speak with youth at H.D. Woodson High School during Black History Month. In March 2025, Ray was invited to Adjumani, Uganda, to teach Restorative Justice Practices to Sudanese refugees at the Uganda Prison, as well as the refugee encampment, where Ray's nonprofit, Next Level Empowerment Program, will be opening a community/restorative justice center in 2027. In September 2025, Ray was a Presenter at the 2025 Euro-Crim Conference in Athens, Greece.

Ray is embarking on his new journey as the Program Manager for New Visions for Public Safety at the Law and Racial Justice Center at Yale University. As of April 2024, Ray started his work at the UConn Institute of Municipal & Regional Policy, working on issues around pre-trial and bail reform here in the state of Connecticut. Ray received an early discharge from parole in January of 2024. He looks to share his lived experience with all so that it may benefit the lives of others. In May 2025, Ray started his position as the Connecticut Ambassador for the Fredrick Douglas Project for Justice.

Ray is married to the love of his life, Jacqueline Boyd. Together, they are the co-founders of the Next Level Empowerment Program in New Haven, Connecticut, where they advocate to create a supportive community for returning citizens and their families through direct engagement and holistic social support. Ray is the father of Ray, Jr. and Chloe.