Seven men working to change their lives graduated from The Next Step program, aimed at teaching offenders to view their crimes through the eyes of the victims.
Rochelle Edwards, who is founder and director of the Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG), came to San Quentin in 2001 to particfipate in an Insight Prison Project parenting program.
“Prisons are a shadow of our society,” Edwards said, adding that most people are ignorant of what goes on behind prison walls. “We are all connected, and we just can’t throw people away,” he added.
Next Step fosters offenders accepting responsibility for their crimes and examines the most intimate aspects of a prisoner’s criminal behavior, allowing him to realize and grasp violence from the perspective of a victim.
The year-long process of self-discovery utilizes the principles of Restorative Justice.
Edwards told the graduates in May: “One of the unseen outcomes, aside from learning better ways to communicate, learning to respond versus react and learning how to identify your feelings, is you become fully responsible to and for yourself and capable of being entrusted to your own care. What this means is you are no longer beholden to your past patterns, your lineage, or your limiting false belief system, which is the real prison.”
Edwards spoke of the work one of San Quentin’s most popular peer counselors, the late Bobby Brown, and suggested the creation of a peer counselor award in his name.
The graduation’s guest speaker was Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior, a personal growth book about the spiritual odyssey he underwent as a college student and world-champion athlete. The book became a major motion picture by Loinsgate
Millman said, “It takes courage to live and love in this world. It’s not about fighting, but standing up and facing the world in truth.”
VOEG is one of the most sought-after programs in San Quentin. The men who complete the program are interested in continuing the work. To fill that need, VOEG provides The Next Step for those who complete the initial curriculum. Beyond that, those who have a passion for service may become a co-facilitator and assist in conducting the primary VOEG groups.
Here are a few of the graduates’ comments:
Markee Carter says, “My self worth had never been destroyed, except in my own mind. So I do accept responsibility for the betrayal and break up that only made worse the pool of shame I carried around, not only from my childhood trauma, but also from the misguided life I lived thereafter. Thank God today I do know how to deal with my bad feelings without hurting my self, others or my community. Instead of pushing my bad feelings away, I speak about them with friends. Instead of blaming others, I look to see where I went wrong.”
Troy “Kogen” Williams said the VOEG program helps bring change. He takes full responsibility in putting 14 people’s lives in danger in a takeover robbery. He says, “The only thing I saw was dollars at the end of the day, but I didn’t realize the trauma I would put victims through, nor the trauma I would put my own family through.” He adds he’s appreciative for the changes in his life, which is a reflection of others in San Quentin, where men are ready for change. He said he walks down the tier and talks to just about anyone about making a change and finds that the conversations come easy, because these are men that want to make a different in their communities.
Mike Villanueva says, “Thank God today I do know how to deal with my bad feelings without hurting myself, others or my community. Instead of pushing my bad feelings away, I speak about them with friends, Instead of blaming others; I look to see where I went wrong.”
