VIP Ingredients For a Recipe of Success

By Collette M. Aldana, Program Director, VIP Sacramento/Yolo

Release from prison is a time of crisis for virtually all new parolees. Coming back into the community is often more difficult than being locked up. Newly released parolees rarely have jobs. Many don't have a home to go to. There is a lack of medical assistance for those with serious mental illness. In addition, they face rejection by family members and friends. Parolees face emotional disorientation, inability to find employment, and worst of all, a “label” that they were once criminals. All these obstacles can destroy a parolee's ability to start a fresh, clean, sober, and crime free life.

VIP Mentors has developed a recipe that is composed of many ingredients essential for the success of newly released parolees. Since its founding in 1972, VIP attorney volunteers have helped thousands of former offenders with all types of criminal histories begin new lives with a new attitude, belief and a positive outlook on life. Many parolees start new lives that are self-respecting and crime free. The most amazing part of this entire recipe is that nine out of ten mentees remain essentially crime-free while working with a mentor, thus the success rate of having a mentor is phenomenal.

The VIP Mentors program started in response to Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger's admonition to attorneys to help reduce the “revolving door syndrome” of the criminal justice system. The VIP recipe includes the vitally important ingredient of volunteer attorneys helping newly released parolees successfully re-enter their communities. VIP matches attorney mentors with men and women on parole. Because of their knowledge of the criminal justice system, resources, and skill at analyzing complex situations, these volunteers are a powerful ingredient in the mission of repairing human lives.

Another ingredient for success is acceptance by the mentor. The attorney mentor is a highly respected member of the community who is willing to accept and work with the parolee without becoming judgmental about the past. The attorney offers a new, clean slate for the parolee on which the parolee can write his or her future. With the mentor's help, the mentee can now start fresh and remain that way, following the road signs on the highway to success. The attorney understands the emotional change of being newly released from prison and provides support and guidance as a friend and role model. In order, however, for this ingredient to work, it has to combine with the parolee's motivation to want to change to better life.

Mentors also help address any issues the parolee may be having. This promotes a complete and successful parole as the mentee struggles through the difficulties of re-entry. The mentor helps the parolee stay focused and motivated, while helping to solve practical issues at the parolee's own pace. With this in mind, it gives a parolee a lot of hope and the willingness to do well and stay on the straight and narrow path. And most important, the parolee now knows he or she is not alone in this battle. There is a mentor to turn to.

The most beautiful ingredient I found is the enormous bond both individuals form. Even after the individual has completed parole, the friendship can last a lifetime. Both parties make a new friend, crime is reduced throughout communities, and tax payers save thousands of dollars each year.

Mentoring definitely works. The recipe that makes this all happen with success is the combination of the attorney mentors' support with the mentees' commitment to change their behavior and rebuild their lives. When you give someone an opportunity to change their life and then provide them with the appropriate guidance and tools, it is a personal touch between the mentor and mentee. The mentor experiences a feeling of reward that comes from helping another person change their life to a positive direction. For many years, VIP mentors have used their knowledge and life-saving tools to help thousands of men and women on parole avoid returning to custody. Many mentees obtain a positive outlook on life and never turn back to the famous CDC label number that once identified them. For further information about becoming a mentor, please contact Collette Aldana at 324-4141 ext. 259 or vip-sacramento@vipmentors.org.