Westchester, Explained 06: Inside the Lives Forward Program - A Story About Second Chances & Accountability

As an extension of our weekly "This Week in Westchester - The Podcast" we welcome you to Westchester, Explained. In this special long-form series we take you deeper into the headlines, decisions and policies shaping Westchester County and their impact on your family, your neighborhood and your future. Here we slow it down, dig in and bring in the people doing the work, and we explain not just what the County is doing, but why it matters.

Because government should be clear. This is your County. 

And this is Westchester, Explained. 

What if you were judged by the worst day of your life for the rest of life?  Today we explore this question as we discuss the County's Lives Forward Program – a certified recovery peer advocate program launched in 2023 at the Westchester County Jail.

At the heart -- this is a program about getting inmates to reflect on their own lives and choices -- and then take that knowledge and pass it forward. Joining us today to discuss this program's cross-departmental roots are Department of Community Mental Health Deputy Commissioner Joe  Glazer and Departmenf of Corrections First Deputy Commissioner Noraima Padilla.

And as you will also hear from today's third guest, Alfredo Roldan, who was one of the first Lives Forward Program Graduates -- you will see how this is a episode that's really about second chances, accountability and the power of people helping people. 

Listen now to find out how the Lives Forward Program is changing lives in Westchester County, creating new opportunities and proving that a person's future does not need to be defined by their past -- and why this matters.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:06

Hi Westchester. I'm Westchester County Government Communications Director Catherine Chaffee. As an extension of This Week in Westchester, the podcast, we welcome you to Westchester Explained. What if you were judged by the worst day of your life for the rest of your life? It's a weighty thought. Today we explore the Lives Forward Program, a certified recovery peer advocate program launched in 2023 at the Westchester County Jail. At the heart, it's a program about getting inmates to reflect on their own lives, their choices, and then take that knowledge and pass it forward. Joining us for this conversation is Department of Community Mental Health Deputy Commissioner Joe Glazer, Department of Correction First Deputy Commissioner Nori Padilla, and Alfredo Roland, one of the program's first graduates. This is a story about second chances, accountability, and the power of people helping people. The Lives Forward Program is changing lives, creating new opportunities, and proving that a person's future does not have to be defined by their past. This is Westchester Explained. Let's begin Thank you so much for joining me today. We have three guests on the podcast today, which is, I think, the first time we've done this. So first we have first deputy commissioner from the Department of Correction, Nori Padilla. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. And then we have Deputy Commissioner from the Department of Community Mental Health, Joe Glazer. Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

My pleasure. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 1:35

And then we have Lives Forward graduate Alfredo Rodan here with us today.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Good afternoon. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_03 1:42

Thanks so much for coming. So we're here to talk about a really remarkable program that we are so lucky to have in Westchester County. It's called the Lives Forward Program, and it comes out of two departments, which is why you're both here. It comes out of the Department of Correction and it comes out of the Department of Community Mental Health. Tell us about this program.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

So this program is the interdepartemental collaboration. It's two departments. It's the Department of Corrections. While individuals are residents are incarcerated, they have the opportunity to be trained and to participate in a six-week cohort that will train them to become peer specialists, substance abuse, and for mental health. It's also a pathway to employment. It is a collaboration with the Department of Community Mental Health. It really allows them not only to learn about addiction and mental health, but also for them to use the opportunity to remain sober and to use their lived experiences to become credible messengers, peer specialists, and support individuals in the community upon return in their own sobriety and to become paid peer specialists in the community so that others that are embarking in the journey of remaining sober can have mentorship and can have guidance and support. There's a certification, state certification that's achieved upon release. While they're incarcerated, they have we have two community agencies that provide the training and then they provide the state certification and the test and support and tutoring in the community as well.

SPEAKER_03 3:08

Yeah, so that's there's a lot there. So let's just break it down a little bit because you've given us some advanced. Let me take it back a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Just to the genesis, which will kind of address what you're you're thinking about. From our perspective, with the Department of Community Mental Health, our New York State offices, the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, has been moving in the direction of incorporating peers, people with lived matching experience into the service provider system. In fact, they're now requiring it in licensed mental health and addiction programs. And if you think about the peer model, one piece of the peer model that's very important is matching lived experience. And when you think about individuals who have been justice involved who have been incarcerated, a true peer is someone who, in addition to understanding and supporting addiction and mental health services, also knows what it's like to return to the community. So I thought for a very long time about how do we create a training program for this model, and I couldn't figure out how to take this and connect it to the people that we wanted to reach. And one night I literally sat up in bed and blurted out, they're in the jail, and went back to sleep. And the next morning I called Nori.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

And here we are. Absolutely. And when he called me, I just um I felt that this was a unique opportunity, not only to, of course, work about something we had a void, because we did have individuals that were going through programming. We had the required medical assistant treatment program that requires peer specialists to work with individuals that are part of the program. And we had a void. We couldn't find peer specialists. And when Joel came up with this idea, we realized that we have them here, we have the time, we have the space. Let's work together in training them and in empowering them to become who they need to become so we can continue to provide this very important service.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

Right. Let's bring let's let's pause there for a second because you said something that I think deserves some attention here. So you said we have the time. Yes. Um so at the Westchester County Jail, um there was there was a a lot of people there with a lot of time on their hands. And something that you have done very well at the Department of Correction, uh, that the whole department has done very well, is making use of that time. Absolutely. And and really planning for when they get released, because at a jail, you get released. It's not a prison. It's very different. So what's the plan? What's the plan for when that day comes? And I and I think you, I know that the Department of Corrections has has really focused on that. So this was part of that.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

It is. We are, you know, West Chester County Department of Correction is truly committed to a successful re-entry. We understand that our citizens are returning and that they need a solid plan to return successfully back to the community. And that pre-release discharge planning or re-entry begins upon admission. And the importance of that is really providing them with the opportunity to participate in different programs. We currently have over 58 different active programs. That's 58 different opportunities for an individual to work on different underlying factors that may have contributed to their criminal behavior. Different ways for them to really, while they're incarcerated, to work on themselves, to be able to build on themselves and create a plan that is bridged in to the community, to resources in the community so that their return can be successful. And we do that by having the community come inside the jail, provide assessments, intakes, services, and jobs. That will require, of course, for the individual to participate in different courses and different programming and a lot of connection. But when we do that, we ensure that everyone leaving the facility leaves with an active discharge plan that connects them to resources in the community, that provides some support, and that embraces the idea that they can return and become return and return and really become productive members of their community.

SPEAKER_03 6:59

So let's turn to you, Alfredo, because this is where you could really share a lot with us. So so what was your ex how did you get involved in this program? Start from the beginning.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Well, I I attended, I initially attended uh another program, the Solutions Program.

SPEAKER_03 7:13

And you were in You were in the jail.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

Yes, I was I was in I was in the jail. Uh yes, and I was doing time and I had a lot of time on my hands. And the jail does offer a variety of programs, and I sought to take advantage of those programs with the with the time that I had. I wanted to do something constructive.

SPEAKER_03 7:34

What was that? I mean, you you get to, I would imagine, walk us through getting to that point where you've decided, I've got time on my hands, I'm gonna be released. What more can I do? Walk me through that.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

Well, first you hit rock bottom. Um and rock bottom I would define as accepting and coming to the realization that what you have done in your life up to that point is no longer working. And you want to do something different and you want to do something better. And you arrive at that point by making a lot of mistakes, as I've had, as I've done in my past. Um what DC Glazer has done is you know, he's gone into that fire, that coal, so to speak, and he's found a way to bring out diamonds through the program that uh the Department of Corrections in Westchester County offers. Um initially, um I had to clean up. Um, I had to put the substances away. I had to find a way, I had to address my substance use issues, and I did that through the solutions program uh at the at the jail. And then through the solutions program and the counseling there, I became aware of the Lives Forward program, which is the next step. Uh first you rid yourself of the substances, uh, get yourself healthy, get yourself to a point where you know you clear away the fog. Um and then it's like, okay, I'm sober now. What am I gonna do? Um, you know, some people you have kids, you want to go back to school, uh, you have to think about housing, you know, all of these things that come with re-entering back into society. And what the Lives Forward program has done is it's made it possible and it's made it easy. Um, as long as you have the women, as long as you have the women. And um, I don't know if that answers your question.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

No, it definitely does. It definitely answers the question. So you went through the program. What was the program like?

SPEAKER_02 9:34

Uh the program is a dual certification program. Uh you become a certified peer advocate slash specialist in both substance abuse disorders and mental health disorders. That those certificates qualify you to work in the field. So each portion consists of 100 hours, which translates to about three weeks, where you received the substance abuse portion of instruction and then the mental health portion of instruction. And uh that consisted of everything from how to deal with your peers to documentation to ethics to how to get certified uh to what's the way I'm a troubleshooting uh and and just learning learning the different diagnosis of how drugs affect you, how drugs affect your community. Uh they leave no stone unturned.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Did the program help you reflect on your own sobriety?

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Absolutely. Uh 100%. The the the program helps you, so you hit rock bottom, you make a decision that you that you want to get clean. And what the program does is it shows you how to get it teaches you how to get to that next level. And it provides you with the tools. And the amazing thing about the Last Forward program and being a peer advocate is that initially, you know, the program begins to teach you how to help others. They teach you that your lived experience is valued. With this lived experience, you can help someone else. So, but as you're learning how to help your peers, you're learning so much about yourself because it does apply to you also. So the the program, I like to say it's threefold, but it has so many layers to it.

SPEAKER_03 11:24

Wow. So um, so you go through the program, you finish your your jail sentence, you were released. Did you have um when you were upon release, did you feel better prepared?

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Absolutely. Absolutely. Uh the the the county corrections department uh re-entry, um, I guess the vision is is outstanding. Uh the staff there, they worked with you to cover everything. If you need housing, if you need uh rehabilitation, if you need mental health services, if you need medication, if you need transportation, um Westchester County Department of Corrections and the Department of Community Mental Health is unique in the sense that they don't abandon you after you've served your time. They continue to assist and coach and monitor and support.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

And why is that important, Nora? Well, it's important because we have so we work together. And and what Alpha is saying, it's key to re-entry. It's really understanding that we're working with the same population, whether it's DSS or whether it's DCMH, it's the same population we're serving, but they're currently incarcerated. So we have to A, identify the fact that we're gonna work with them while they're incarcerated and upon release. But that if we begin to do that while they're incarcerated and we identify what their needs are gonna be, what are the services that need to be in place so that when this resident or this returning citizen returns with the services in place, the transition is exactly what Alfredo just described. It's easier. Things are in place, there is no chaos, there's less chances of a crisis, but there's an easier pathway to success. There is there's a host of challenges that you have to uh challenge that you have to face upon release. It's a natural course. It's what happens. There's systems that you have to navigate. We ensure by collaborating and working together that those systems are in place to provide you the services that you need, that you can do your part so that you can successfully navigate those systems, whether it's housing, employment, medication, treatment, follow-up on whatever it is that you may have started. For example, in his case, continuing to make sure that he got certified as a peer specialist, employment so that he can ensure that he can have the job that he has today. When you do that, you help that person return to the community with the same support that he had while he was incarcerated. You increase the chances of that person being able to successfully not only return, but stay successfully in the community.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

Well, that's what I wanted to highlight.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

I mean, ultimately the measure of success is staying in the community successfully and making sure that they navigate those systems successfully. And they're not coming back. And not coming back as a result of them.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

As Alfredo said, being a fully contributing member of society. I mean, that's a really big piece. You know, as opposed to that$275 a day, which I think is the current cost of one day of incarceration for an individual, you're literally not just paying your own way, but for an active supportive member of society. And Alfredo takes it the next step. I'm not just an active supportive member of society. I am now an active supportive member of a society, serving people, traveling the path that I myself have traveled.

SPEAKER_03 14:50

So how many people have gone through this program? Currently, we have had 58 participants, 39 graduates. Incredible. And what was when you graduated from this program, how did your family react to it? Your friends, your family, what do they what do they say?

SPEAKER_02 15:04

They were proud of me. They were excited. Um, even before I graduated, uh the lives forward forward that they're so great at encouraging you. So even weeks before I graduated, I was telling everyone that I could. I'm gonna become a counselor. And um I've achieved that goal. Uh I am a program facilitator for family services of Westchester today. Teresa. Um and and my family is they continue, they continue to support me. They say it's a miracle. Uh they thank God. Um and you know, I continue, I thank God, but I also continue to thank uh Commissioner Padilla and Commissioner Glazer. Um it's it's it's just a brilliant, you know, opportunity. Uh my life has completely changed. Um so they've given me the program has given me a new life, uh, a new career. And this there's so much more that comes with that. That I will be forever grateful to.

SPEAKER_03 16:04

What sort of work did you do prior?

SPEAKER_02 16:07

So upon release, uh, I worked for, I initially worked for the Scarsdale Sanitation Department.

SPEAKER_03 16:14

Okay. Uh so this is a very different career than what you were doing prior.

SPEAKER_02 16:19

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

Did you ever think you'd be in this line of work?

SPEAKER_02 16:23

No. No. It was a it was a fantasy. It was something in my mind, but I I've never thought that I'd accomplish it. And, you know, like many of our dreams, if they don't come to fruition after, for me, it might have been 20, 25 years. When I was 14, 15, 16, I said, oh, I want to work with kids one day. And here I'm 45 and it hasn't happened yet. Maybe it's never gonna happen. And along comes the Lives Forward program, and they give me everything that I've always wanted.

SPEAKER_03 16:53

Wow. Um, one thing that I want to tell you, because it's I think it's an important thing to point out, it's like, yes, you thank God. Yes, you thank Joe and Nori, but I think you also have to thank yourself. Absolutely because you took advantage of it and you made a big difference in your life, and you're making a difference in the lives of many other people. So you deserve a thank you as well.

unknown 17:12

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 17:13

Um so tell me a little bit about your like your day-to-day life now, your job, what it's what it's like.

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Uh, work work. So I recently uh just started. Uh I'm brand new. So uh it consists of again training, training, training, training. Um I'm the program facilitator for CCMI, which is the Community Credible Messengers Initiative. Uh my responsibilities are um to visit adolescents uh that are impacted by the justice system before release and assist them with their re-entry to be brief. Uh in addition to that, and also the program facilitates another newly developed program called PATH, uh, which is specific to kids in Mount Vernon that do not have to be impacted by the justice system, but just are in need of mental health services, and we help them get connected. So these are two brand new programs, and I'm brand new to the field. I've never done this before. Uh, but that's pretty much what my day consists of for the PATH program. It's gathering referrals uh because we want people to benefit from the program.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

So let me ask you a question. When when you walk into these teenagers, I'm assuming, right? Adolescent, teenage, and that's a tough crowd, right, to begin with. So you're walking in, you're you're in front of teenagers, and they see you and you look very professional, you look very polished, you have very nice glasses, a nice crisp white shirt, and they think, what does this guy know about what I'm going through? And you start telling them your story, how do they react to that?

SPEAKER_02 18:48

Uh they kids, they they can feel they, I don't know how to they feel the love. Um, I think, you know, someone taught me a long time ago that that every creature on this planet understands love. Uh the ex one of the examples that they gave me is the, you know, a dog, a thirsty dog or canine understands when you bring them a bowl of water. Um, a cat that's stuck in the tree understands the fire man that gets him out of that complicated uh position. Um kids nowadays, the kids that that I encounter and that I mentor um are just kids. They have, they've been through a lot of pain. So they have this tough exterior, this facade set up. But I think all kids are generally the same in the sense that they love video games, they like cool sneakers, and the Credible Messengers Initiative at Family Services of Westchester is an incentive-based program. Uh so kids that are taking steps, it's not it's it's about progress, not perfection. Kids that are taking steps to do the right thing, you can get uh iPad, you can get new sneakers, you can get invited to basketball games. So we could tell you to motivate them. Um but uh, you know, I'm still a big kid in a lot of ways because I have that lived uh experience. And the the reception has has been well. I'm very proud of all the kids that have been impacted by the justice system. And not only them, but some of them have family members that have been impacted by the justice system. And they know that there's a better life out there, a better future, better chance. So I'm very proud of them, and the reception has been well.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

That's it. And that's what's key about the Credible Messenger, right? So his lived his experiences really validate his role in this community. When he walks in, he walks in, and his experience really is going to be a bridge for them, for these individuals, these adolescents, to really understand and understand the message that he's trying to bring. And in a sense, I was actually I was talking to Alfred about that. It's an excellent opportunity for him to be proactive, right? And to use his experience to help these kids not walk the walk, his walk, not make the mistakes they have made. And his experiences will validate him in front of the kids and will help him um be able to connect with the kids, and the kids will value the experience that he's bringing about and the advice that he's gonna um be bringing about. And that's what the credible messenger is all about. Bringing someone in that the audience can believe the story that's about to be told. This is the credible. Oh, I can believe what's being said. Okay, I get it. I shouldn't do this because this is what happens. So it's someone that they can, in one way or the other, identify with based on the lived experiences. And Alfredo's story is powerful.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

And and I want to take something that you said and what you just said and kind of weave them together because there's a really important point here that we haven't touched on, and that is return to the community through reentry is not an easy process for the person living it. The hoops that you need to jump through. How to get how to get housing, how to make sure that you have money to eat, how to make sure that you have access to medical care. All of these hoops are here. And that's even before you get to the question of how does a person who has a criminal conviction get back to work. And I know Which is challenging. We at the county have done some things. We've banned the box, we've done a bunch of things. That's really, really good.

SPEAKER_03 22:26

Tell everybody what ban the box is, because that was a while ago.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Ban the box is basically saying that in a job application, you cannot ask an individual about their arrest or in incarceration, conviction history, which means a lot. I mean, it will come up later in the process, but initially you can't ask a person right up front because we know that that means your intention is depending upon the answer, is you don't hire individuals with that background. So here in Westchester County, we were among the first to ban that.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

It's many years ago now, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

But in Alfredo's case, and I'm going to use you as an example because you and I just did this. Yes. Um, we have to go through the New York State Justice Center for for the protection of people with disabilities. And they basically have to sign off on the hiring of individuals working in direct human service fields. For an individual who has criminal conviction issues, it is a huge undertaking. And it took us an awful lot of work working with Alfredo to get through it. But we did, and he's here, and he is going to do tremendous work for all of us.

SPEAKER_03 23:36

Yes, he is. You know, I think it's um it's interesting because when when we did ban the box, I was a communications director then as well. And when we did it, there was pushback. There were people who said, you know, these are these are men and women who've been convicted of crimes, like lock them up, throw away the key. And and at the time, um, what would what bothered me so much about it is I have three sons. People hear me talk about my sons all the time. And when you have children, like you never know what they're gonna do. You have no idea. And then you you think, they're judged, you want this individual to be judged on the worst day of their life for the rest of their life. That makes no sense. That makes no sense. And and that's really, I mean, I always that's had a lot of empathy, but having children really changed it even more for me. And and I I just really um am in awe of all three of you and the work that you've done in this program because, like we said in the beginning, these men and women, men, if you know, in the case of the jail, they are they are coming back to society. How do you want them to come back? That's and and you are a perfect example of that lives. Things can change. Things can change. Yeah. Anything else that you'd like to share?

SPEAKER_02 24:52

Uh I would just like to share for individuals that are still incarcerated. I want them to know that their lived experience has value. And they do not have to wait until they are discharged from the facility. Accountability, responsibility, and change starts now. I started uh, you know, the day I walked in. The day I walked in and, you know, and and I was getting fingerprinted and they were holding me. I said, something has to change. And I made a decision at that point that I was gonna do something different this time. So every day waking up while in the facility, um, I was signing up for programs. I was asking questions. I was looking for that positive leadership. And uh the Department of Corrections, Westchester County, does an excellent job at providing it if you want it. So guys can, they can have what I have, what I've achieved today, they can begin to achieve today also.

SPEAKER_03 25:56

Wonderful. Well, I'm very proud of you. You should be very proud of yourself. You, as I said before, you get the big thank you too, along with the county and Joe and Nori. You you get the big thank you too. Thank you so much for joining us today. All three of you, really. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

Thank you. Thank you.