New program attempts to reintegrate ex-convicts into their commmunities
California’s recidivism rate is second to none (60 percent for adult inmates). At the forefront of preventing recently released inmates from becoming just another statistic is San Francisco-based PHATT Chance Reentry Program, a place where last February, Thomas Christian underwent a process that he assures turned his life around.
Christian, 45, had been incarcerated for drug-related crimes on more than one occasion. But in October 2008, after having been released from a Nevada State prison, he made his way back to his hometown of San Francisco in hopes of a fresh start.
He soon found that the transition from captivity to free-living encompassed numerous ups and downs.
“At first, you appreciate your liberties a lot more, but one of the main downsides to this transition is adjusting to not having a built-in structure instilled upon you in prison. I was being told what to do all the time,” recounted Christian.
According to a 2008 Report from the California Department of Corrections, throughout a three-year span, 60 percent of adult inmates in California re-engaged in criminal activity and were returned to prison. That same year, more than half of its inmate population arrived after violating their parole.
Two years ago, Christian was among those re-incarcerated.
Once in San Francisco, a parole officer recommended Christian to the Northern California Service League—a non-profit organization that works inside and outside jails and prisons —which then referred him to PHATT Chance Reentry Program.
“It’s been a constant blessing ever since,” affirmed Christian who has been a client of the rehabilitation and housing center for more than a year.
Providing a way out
In 2004 Armando Martinez, 56, and George Turner joined forces to create PHATT Chance Reentry Program, a secondary treatment program for individuals struggling to reintegrate themselves into society.
“We reach out and try to cover all the bases so the person has the best chance to turn their life around,” explained Martinez, deputy program director of the agency.
PHATT Chance works in collaboration with several organizations to provide housing, food, drug rehabilitation, anger management classes, recovery meetings, job training and education for those undergoing personal struggles. Christian underwent a 90-day drug rehabilitation program as an outpatient while living at a PHATT Chance house.
Clients are housed across three transition homes—two in San Francisco and one in Oakland—operated by a staff of eight. There are approximately 40 people currently living in the transition homes.
Most clients are referred to PHATT Chance by other similar organizations, or find their way to the agency through the penal system, county jails and word-of-mouth recommendations.
“We get letters from guys in prison who want to join us,” said Martinez. “And if they’re serious, we bring them in.”
Approximately 90 percent of PHATT Chance’s clients were recently released from a correctional facility: the rest are students seeking assistance.
Among those students is Mike (whose last name was witheld for confidentiality), a 28-year-old Native American male who spent four years at one of the San Francisco houses after being referred by Friendship House, a non-profit that provides housing and substance-abuse treatment to Native Americans.
He turned to PHATT Chance for guidance and was offered a place to live as long as he attended school and maintained his grades.
The organization is a fierce advocate of education.
A 2005 report released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy found a direct correlation between educational attainment and recidivism rates. Results suggest that after being released from prison, the higher the inmate’s education, the less likely they will be to relapse into criminal behavior.
The young man who once arrived with a rather bleak future was transformed into the reflection of the program’s vision.
In the spring of 2010, Mike will begin his first semester at UC Berkeley.
“We were going to get him into Stanford, but he changed his mind. He already moved out of the house and is on his way to becoming a lawyer for his native tribe,” said Marti-nez with a jubilant tone.
“When he came to realize his vision, he never waivered. He stuck to it, persevered and stayed the course. A lot of guys crumble when they are put under pressure. He didn’t do that,” he added.
Birds of a feather
Martinez’ background is similar to the individuals he helps. At the age of 13, he was homeless on the streets of San Francisco; an episode that led him to severe drug use and impending self-destruction.
Years later, he was brought to the now defunct Narcotics Education League, a center that once helped former Latino ex-convicts re-enter society.
“When I was a kid growing up, I had no guidance: there was no one there for me,” Martinez said. “I don’t want people to make the same mistakes I made. That is why I got into this business. Because when I was in my addiction I didn’t know a way out. But someone saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself.”
Like Christian, Martinez was incarcerated for the sale of narcotics.
Christian was first incarcerated in 2005 for possession and sale of drugs. He was then released and re-incarcerated in 2007, serving 14 months in the California state prison system under the same charge.
“Being hooked on drugs is a self-imposed prison,” Martinez explained. “It takes work to stay out of jail.”
In 2008 the CDCR reported that, 18.2 percent of incarcerated adults in California are there due to drug-related offenses. Drug related crimes also made up 32 percent of offenses by felons first released to parole “We get a lot of people right out of jail who have nowhere to go. But they have five months to show effort and commitment to change,” said Martinez. For those who qualify, the Northern California Service League funds a five month probationary period at PHATT Chance Reentry Program, where clients are encouraged to create a life plan for themselves and stick to it. If they manage to remain clean, sober, and productive, they are permitted to stay beyond the initial period.
“If they’re making something of themselves and doing good things, they can stay,” Martinez added. “If they are serious about their recovery and moving forward with their life, our doors are open for them. We’ll help them go forward. (But) If they’re just not doing anything, then they have to go and make a spot for somebody who is serious about changing their life.”
As soon a client arrives, they undergo an intense evaluation to determine what their needs are: mentoring, job training, education, etc.
Unlike other similar transitional programs, at PHATT Chance, people leave when they are ready.
He believes programs within incarceration facilities—as well as those that commence once released—monitor individuals to the point where they are simply unable to make life decisions for themselves.
“You really don’t have to think or take responsibility for yourself. So when you get back out into society, you’re lost all over again,” he said.
But at PHATT Chance, individuals are taught responsibility while being given significant room for individual growth.
Christian added, “Back then, I was doing it more for them. Now, I’m doing this for me.”
Christian explained, “This program gives you the time and space to do you. Other programs try to do so many things to you, but this one helps bring out the best of what is in you.”
Because this is a fairly new organization, their success rate still remains to be accurately determined, but in the big picture—according to Martinez—more than 50 percent of individuals leave the program prepared to reintegrate themselves back into society.
“When they leave here, they’re either in school or working,” he added.
A population underserved
Of the 171,161 inmates in California’s correctional facilities, approximately 17,000 or 10 percent are in counties surrounding the Bay Area.
The combined total inmate population for San Francisco and Alameda counties—the area in which PHATT Chance operates—is 6,133 or 3.5 percent of California’s total inmate population.
According to the CDCR, in 2006 there were about 2,200 individuals on parole in San Francisco alone. Of that total, nearly 20 percent entered treatment centers, leaving the remaining 80 percent with limited support while transitioning to free living.
A chance to give back
By September of 2009, Christian was asked to join the organization’s staff. Like Martinez, he also wants to devote his life to helping others move forward.
“(In) some of these guys, I see a part of myself at the time of my recovery. It helps me look at things from a whole different window. It helps me deal with the same population I’ve dealt with all of my life, just from a different perspective: giving instead of taking. And it really feels good to be a part of that,” said Christian.
Christian acknowledges that helping run PHATT Chance may often present a challenge. This is where the collision between the forces of inner-conflict, institutionalization, and a new set of principles occurs.
PHATT Chance is the nexus of that transition. They are the first to deal with individuals’ emotional hurdles and the habits accumulated while locked up in prison.
Christian hopes to continue growing along with PHATT Chance. He describes his new lifestyle with renewed enthusiasm:
“I go out there and walk the streets. I see the police and I’m not trippin,’ I see all the street guys and they don’t know me! You know what I mean? It feels good!”