Released From Jail, Now What?

Fifteen months ago a young man serving a 9-month sentence in a county jail for criminal speeding and assault, met his RJP mentors for the first time.  Neil Macmillan and Judy Mullins began to listen to his story, and agreed to meet with him once a week. 

A few days ago they had a party to celebrate the completion of the one-year probation period.  In between there were many ups and downs, but a relationship of trust and understanding gradually took shape.

Neil remembers, “We started by focusing on keeping this guy out of jail.  So we helped him set some goals and connected him to programs and professionals in the community.”  But early on Judy and Neil realized that the circumstances of the participant’s life could easily sidetrack him and deter progress on the probation requirements.  At a key moment, Margaret Micolichek, RJP Midcoast Executive Director, said to Judy and Neil, “It is not your job to keep him out of jail.  Your role is to support him as he lives his life.”  With continuous wise counsel and support from Margaret and other staff members, mentors and mentee alike were able to move forward.

Midway through the probation year the mentors hit a “really hard patch,” in that the participant was not following through on the conditions of probation.  Neil and Judy had to rethink their commitment and asked the young man to rework the RJP contract they had all signed.  Judy says, “At this point I recognized that the integrity of the relationship was what mattered most.  The accountability in the mentoring process is to the relationship that all parties agree they desire, not to the RJP contract or the probation requirements.”

When asked about the critical elements of mentoring, Neil summarized, “In order to be effective I needed to understand another culture. Their education, background, finances, family relationships, and options are much different from mine. And effective mentoring is a long process, you have to be there over a period of time, during the ups and the downs.”  It is essential for mentors to believe change can happen.  Judy says, “I’m a mentor because RJP believes transformation is possible, in individuals and in institutions and systems.”

This is an unfinished story, but the young man has made progress.  He has stayed out of jail, is getting help from skilled professionals, and has made good choices about which connections with friends and family should continue.  The RJP contract with Judy and Neil ended with the completion of probation, but a relationship continues for which all parties have high hopes.