The Healing, Empowerment, Accountability, Restoration and Transformation program known at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center as H.E.A.R.T., held its third graduation in which it honored 60 members for their commitment toward stopping domestic violence and healing themselves in the process.
The program had 44 graduates from their regular group and an additional 16 from the Youth Offender Program. They facilitated separate cohorts that embraced the youth within their midst.
“The symbol of the HEART program is a heart that is not solid,” program director and founder Cherie McNaulty said. “This symbolizes the light that shines through the broken parts of our heart. When we shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.”
According to the curriculum, weekly two-hour-long classes continued for 26 weeks with focus on the members’ written reflections, known as prompts, followed by group discussions. There program has three modalities: the Duluth educational model, cognitive behavioral therapy, and family values for persons predisposed to family violence. All of them have trauma-informed aspects.
The event consisted of several presenters including the host, head facilitator Dennis Jefferson, and inside speaker Ian Hamilton, both San Quentin residents.
“We’re celebrating these students who have taken a step closer in service of an ideal relationship that is free of abuse,” said Jefferson. “When you think about intimate partner violence, that means those closest to you, or those that claim to love you. They can also pose the gravest risk to their partner’s safety.”
Resident and co-facilitator Harry Goodall Jr. spoke about the importance of this program and how it gave him the tools for introspection, leading him to a successful BPH suitability hearing.
He said he found ironic that the Sunday prior to his hearing, the weekly class topic was healthy relationships, which was the very first question the commissioner asked him during his hearing.
“It was so fresh on my mind that, out of all the questions, I was sure of that answer. She [McNaulty] taught me real-life scenarios from a survivor’s standpoint,” he said.
According to Jefferson, the program taught him who to be more responsible to his loved ones. But, it is also a space where their humanity has breathing room to pivot and course correct.
Hamilton expressed the facts of his crime as well as his old mentality that fostered his sense of denial and effort to gain control. He talked about the impact that this program had on his growth and the most important tool he gained from the group.
“One of the many valuable things I’ve learned is intervention points. At these points, I have a decision to do, or not to do something,” he said.
McNaulty observed the countless victims of domestic violence and relayed several statistics. She wiped away tears as she spoke about her trauma as a survivor and the impact the program has had on her life.
“I have generations of domestic violence in my family. I am my family’s cycle breaker,” she said. “You now have a higher standard to uphold and the best gift you can give to others is being your authentic self.”
The director called the graduates to the stage one-by-one to receive their certificates and to shake hands with each facilitator. She acknowledged the facilitators’ hard work and dedication to the program.
This journey of self-discovery and healing was a rude awakening for Pablo Sanchez. Prior to this class, he had tunnel vision about domestic violence. He said since taking the class, he understood that domestic violence meant more than physical abuse and that it encompassed the reality of all emotional and psychological harm that one rendered to one’s significant other.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates had the opportunity to deliver parting words as they continued their post-H.E.A.R.T. journey . Some gave thanks to their mothers and others persons influential in their lives.
“Each of you have gone through the H.E.A.R.T. program, so each of you have gained insight into domestic violence and its impacts,” Hamilton said. “It begins, continues, or ends with you.
