On the October 23rd, 2014 edition of Your Call, we'll hear stories of people who turned their lives around after over a decade in prison or jail. Two thirds of people released from California's prison system will return within 3 years. What obstacles prevent people from getting out and staying out? How does incarceration impact families, especially children? What kind of support do formerly incarcerated adults want? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar, and you.
Guests:
Micky Duxbury, project coordinator for The Welcome Home Project, writer and activist currently focusing on the effects of mass incarceration
Alice Washington, who between the ages of 26-36 was in and out of county jail and served five years in Valley State Prison. She now has a Drug and Alcohol Counseling Certificate and a BA in Psychology, and she is working on her Master's Degree as a family therapist
Nichole Pettway, who spent a total of five years in county jails and eight years in California State Prisons. She is now a Certified Addictions Treatment Counselor at a re-entry program in San Francisco and is completing her Bachelor’s Degree and hopes to open a transitional house for women leaving the criminal justice system
Web Resources:
The Welcome Home Project
East Bay Express: Finding Hope After Prison
NPR: In California, Life With Parole Increasingly Leads to Freedom
Al-Jazeera America: Calif. counties cope with released prisoners, many homeless
San Francisco Chronicle: California Reentry Program gives ex-cons a second chance
L.A. Times: Early jail releases have surged since California's prison realignment