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| Mentor program for Muskegon parolees tries to reduce odds they'll head back to prison |
| By mlive.com - Megan Hart | |
| Published: 01/04/2012 |
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When Christine Sampson got out of prison after 25 years, she had no idea how she would do in a world that had gone digital while she was away. “When I stepped out, it was a totally new world,” she said. “I was terrified.” Now, about a year later, she has a job as a restaurant cook, owns a home in Muskegon and has a fiance and a new group of friends. She credits having a mentor for part of that success, and said she's confident she'll never go back to the choices that led her to prison. “I was a number for 25 years, but they gave me back my humanity,” Sampson said. “If you have the drive to succeed, they have the tools to help you.” Sampson is one of the Muskegon parolees who participated in Operation Hope Grows, a partnership between West Michigan Therapy and the Michigan Department of Corrections' prisoner re-entry program to pair returning prisoners with mentors and reduce the likelihood they'll reoffend. Charles Nash, who works at West Michigan Therapy and leads Operation Hope Grows, said mentors make a one-year commitment to talk with their partner for one hour weekly, and to meet face-to-face once per month. Those mentoring youth who seem likely to fall into crime are required to talk for two hours weekly. They also attend events with their partners and help them to navigate their return to society. “The biggest thing is just showing that they care about that individual,” Nash said. Read More. |
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