KINGDOM ALLIANCE
REENTRY RESOURCES
IN KERSHAW COUNTY.
A resource page, not a program brochure. Ben Lovro served five years. He is a few years ahead of this walk, not above it.
For the first-ninety-days walkthrough, see the Camden coming-home guide.
What coming home to Camden actually involves
A regional commuter shuttle connects Camden to Columbia, which matters because a large share of available work is over there rather than here. Locally, manufacturing, warehousing, food service and horse farms all hire, and barn work in particular is judged on competence alone. The county is large and rural, so distance from housing to the county seat where reporting and services sit is the recurring logistics problem.
The interstate carries a heavy commuter flow toward Columbia, and there is a regional commuter shuttle running that corridor. Inside the county, distances are long and rural.
None of that is a judgment about anybody. It is a logistics problem, and logistics problems have solutions if you know the terrain before you start.
If you are the one hiring
Two separate labor markets with almost no overlap. Skilled barn and equine labor is specialized and word-of-mouth, while plant work is shift-based and recruited formally. Neither pool substitutes for the other.
| Program | What it gives the employer | South Carolina contact |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Bonding Program | A free $5,000 fidelity bond covering employee dishonesty, for hiring someone considered high-risk to place. No cost to the employer | FederalBonding@dew.sc.gov |
| Work Opportunity Tax Credit | A federal tax credit of up to $2,400 for hiring someone formerly incarcerated | WOTC@dew.sc.gov |
Confirm the current terms of both with DEW rather than with a web page.
They exist to take risk out of the decision, and that is all they do. Neither one gets a person hired. What does is the ordinary commercial case: somebody who has been through this and intends to stay out of it is often the most motivated applicant in the stack.
For the full context behind this, see the deal calculators and learning resources.
What the numbers suggest
| Year | South Carolina recidivism rate |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 31% |
| 2019 | 18%, tied for third lowest in the nation |
Both come from figures published by the state's workforce and corrections agencies. Dates matter with numbers like these, so confirm the current figure before repeating it anywhere.
The trend is real, and it is still a statement about a population rather than about any individual. Nobody can promise an outcome to one man.
What the figures point toward is ordinary and practical. Three things show up among people who do not return: somewhere stable to sleep, income arriving within the first couple of months, and at least one person paying genuine attention. Build those three, in whatever order the week allows.
Historic preservation is a live civic force rather than a hobby. Revolutionary War history, the racecourse and a downtown that never went vacant give the place an unusually long institutional memory.
Kingdom Alliance is Ben Lovro’s service work and Second Chance Kings sits under it. Neither is affiliated with the South Carolina Department of Corrections, which runs its own separately-named Second Chance Program, or with any other state agency.
What work is actually available around Camden
The first job is a bridge, not a verdict, and it helps to know in advance what kind of bridge this place offers.
Camden runs on two economies that barely touch. A genuine horse industry of training, breeding and boarding operations sits alongside chemical and industrial manufacturing on the interstate corridor. The sectors that dominate here are equine industry, manufacturing, healthcare, heritage tourism and retail and hospitality, and entry-level hiring tends to follow them. Chemical and fiber manufacturing in the county is the largest industrial employer, and hospital, school district and county government payrolls carry much of the rest. The horse operations employ steadily but in small numbers each.
An unusual combination. Equine service businesses such as farriers, veterinarians, feed and tack dealers and horse transport operate alongside antiques, specialty retail and restaurants downtown that sell largely to visitors, plus the ordinary trades any county seat needs. Smaller employers are often the ones who will actually sit with a candidate and hear the whole answer, because the decision is not being made by a screening system.
The year is organized around a horse calendar rather than a retail one. Hotels, restaurants and even hiring move on race and training dates that have nothing to do with the normal business cycle.
The list worth keeping
Program details change. Call and confirm rather than trusting any website, this one included.
- SC Works centers. Run by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. Job search help, interview practice and skills training, including services delivered to people still incarcerated.
- 211. The statewide United Way referral line — food, transportation, utilities and housing, by county.
- South Carolina Legal Services and the SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center for civil legal questions and plain-language guides.
- The Solicitor's office serving Kershaw County for expungement applications on anything other than a non-conviction in Magistrate or Municipal Court.
- SC Probation, Parole and Pardon Services for supervision and pardon questions.
- 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.
County records for this area are handled at Kershaw County Courthouse, 1121 Broad St, Camden, SC 29020.
Two different remedies
How to find out where you stand
- Decide which remedy you are asking about. Expungement destroys the record, so the offense no longer appears on a background check. A pardon leaves the conviction in place, marked as pardoned. They are not substitutes for one another.
- Check whether the charge is even in the category. Dismissals, not-guilty verdicts, diversion dismissals, certain first-offense misdemeanors and some drug possession convictions may be eligible. Traffic and fish-and-wildlife convictions generally are not.
- Count the time. The wait runs from about one year to twenty, starting once the sentence is complete — and that includes probation and parole.
- Work out who receives the application. The court itself, for a non-conviction in Magistrate or Municipal Court. Otherwise the Solicitor's office in the county where the charge or conviction occurred. A pardon goes to SC Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
- Budget the fees. Published amounts have been $250 to the Solicitor, $35 to the Clerk of Court and $25 to SLED, varying by type, and some types are exempt.
- Then ask somebody who can actually advise you. This page is not legal advice. The Solicitor's office, South Carolina Legal Services, or your own attorney.
Frequently asked
Questions people actually ask
Is there a reentry program in Camden?
Second Chance Kings is Ben Lovro's work under Kingdom Alliance. It is not a government program or a facility. The agencies listed above are where formal services live — start with SC Works and 211.
Do I have to be religious to get help?
No. Ben's faith is his own and it is why he does this. Nobody has to share it, agree with it, or attend anything to be treated decently.
What is hardest about coming home to Camden specifically?
A regional commuter shuttle connects Camden to Columbia, which matters because a large share of available work is over there rather than here. Locally, manufacturing, warehousing, food service and horse farms all hire, and barn work in particular is judged on competence alone. The county is large and rural, so distance from housing to the county seat where reporting and services sit is the recurring logistics problem.
Where do I apply for expungement in Kershaw County?
For a non-conviction in Magistrate or Municipal Court, through that court. For everything else, through the Solicitor's office in the county where the charge or conviction occurred.
I am an employer — what is my actual liability?
A question for your own attorney and insurer. The Federal Bonding Program exists specifically to address dishonesty exposure; ask DEW about bonding and WOTC eligibility before assuming anything either way.
How can my church or business help?
Consistency beats intensity. A standing ride, a skill taught, interview practice, or one job opened up is worth more than an event. Unreliable help is worse than none, so offer only what you can keep up.
Make your next move
A year from now, what will you be glad you started today?
You don't need another promise that everything will be easy. You need something useful to learn — and a next step you're willing to take.