HARTFORD, Conn — April is 'second chance month' dedicated to recognizing the importance of re-entry programs in helping communities thrive.
For the Second Chance Reentry Initiative Program (SCRIP,) second chances is all about, as there is an ongoing effort to make a difference through past mistakes.
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"Serving 22 years, I came home to the halfway house, and I saw certain things that we're missing," said Edward Andrews, founder of SCRIP. "And what was missing was the underlining factors that lead us to make poor choices."
Andrews believes those choices are often embedded in trauma and can feed and maintain criminal behavior.
"Trauma is something serious," said Andrews. "And it's preventing us from being as successful as we want to."
Joy Jegede is a licensed clinician working with those in the SCRIP program and said while everyone's story may be different, trauma is common.
"All of them have the same challenges that they're bringing to the table, but literature has shown that one challenge and disadvantage that the majority have is trauma," stressed Jegede.
This is why Andrews created SCRIP. He said the mission is to raise awareness of the often-overlooked traumatic experiences in urban communities, helping individuals overcome the oppressive realities of incarceration, homelessness, unemployment, and racial injustices. He said within SCRIP; there is also an ASCEND program that focuses on academic, social, counseling, expert-mentoring & Networking Development.
"So we take what happens in the class, and we also take what is going on with them privately and try to put that all together in a session and help them understand so they don't blame themself, and understand, oh, this is why I'm doing this," explained Jegede.
Kamal Hassan Ali is a professor for SCRIP. He said seeing success also stems from learning about the historical context of society.
"The way to solve the problem is with information that a farm so you are and can support you and maybe gives you the kind of drive that you need to overcome these issues," said Hassan Ali.
Irving Ortiz graduated from the SCRIP program in 2020. He said the trauma SCRIP helps clients address has changed his life.
"I grew up in a violent environment, and that's normal for us," said Ortiz.
After serving time in prison, Ortiz said he truly believes programs like SCRIP are vital for personal and community growth.
I learned a lot about myself and emotions and how to handle emotions and how to handle difficult situations," said Ortiz. "We also need to be accountable, learn from our mistakes, and say, you know what I can do better. I know better now, and there's another way, and I'm gonna figure that way out."
For more information about SCRIP, CLICK HERE.
Raquel Harrington is the race and culture reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at rharrington@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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