Freedom Warrior: After almost 25 years in prison, a California woman now fights for incarcerated women, youth

Just three months after being released from prison, Trancita Ponce, 43, is pouring her heart into a new chapter of her life — giving back to those who need it most.

After spending more than half of her life behind bars, Trancita was released on Oct. 22, 2024 from the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, CA. She says that because of Five Keys’ Home Free, a Treasure Island-based trauma-informed reentry program for recently-released women, she quickly found a job.

Now, she’s working full-time as an ambassador for Five Keys’ Navigation Centers in the heart of San Francisco’s Tenderloin, where she’s dedicating herself to helping unhoused individuals rebuild their lives. Trancita also is an ambassador for Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, a team of formerly and currently incarcerated women who advocate tirelessly for the rights of women behind California’s prison walls. She’s also got ambitious plans to continue volunteering in a role she held in prison, helping incarcerated youth adjust to prison life. The program the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) Youth Division Program, helps instill in the young inmates a respect for the law, themselves and their communities.

 “I wrote a program for youth that I am going to introduce out there very soon,” says Trancita. “I’m determined to live out my life with purpose. I wasted so much time and now I am determined to give back every moment.”

To say Trancita has hit the ground running is to understate.

Employment as Catalyst: Economic mobility and Reduced Recidivism

Her journey speaks volumes about the power of employment to create economic mobility for the vulnerable population of returning citizens. With the unemployment rate for the formerly incarcerated at over 27% — higher than the total U.S. unemployment rate during any historical period, including the Great Depression. Formerly incarcerated individuals are 24% less likely to return to prison if they acquired new skills and held a job during incarceration. Additionally, those who are unable to maintain employment experience a recidivism rate of 52% over three years, whereas their peers who maintain employment for one-year post-release experienced a recidivism rate of just 16%.

From Struggles to Strength: Overcoming Adversity and Transformation

Trancita’s journey is one of profound transformation. Born in Riverside County, she grew up in a small town called Perris, CA, just 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles, she was one of eight children in a home where addiction and instability were constant. Her parents, both heroin addicts, were frequently in and out of prison, and by the age of seven, Trancita had already experimented with drugs. By 10, she was selling cocaine, and by thirteen, she joined a gang.

Her teenage years were marked by trauma — sexual abuse, violence, and ultimately, the loss of her freedom when she became a ward of the state. She spent her adolescence in juvenile hall, surrounded by crime and chaos. At 18, Trancita’s addiction to methamphetamine had consumed her life.

Her downward spiral led her to prison for a gang-related beating.

“Looking back,” she says, “I realize I was taking out my own trauma and doing to the victim what had once been done to me.”

Over the next 16 years, she was moved from facility to facility — Valley State Prison, the California Institution for Women (CIW), and eventually the Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) — but in every place, she remained trapped in addiction and destructive behavior.

“I was in such a dark place,” Trancita recalls. “I was a heroin addict, ‘dope sick.”

From Darkness to Light: “I believe in you.”

Until one day when she says she experienced “my spiritual awakening.”

“I was lying on my cell floor crying, begging God to help me,” she says. “I sobbed for hours, pleading for something to change. I was considered a program failure by the system and there was no chance for me to qualify for any of the special prison programs to help turn my life around.”

It was in that darkest moment she discovered God and began to rebuild her life from the inside out.

Then, one of the prison correctional captains approached her and said, “I can help you. I am starting an alternative program in 30 days and I want you to be in it. I will keep my word. I believe in you.”

“Those four words changed my life,” says Trancita.

Through faith and perseverance, Trancita got sober and worked tirelessly to overcame her past, finding healing and purpose where once there was only pain.

Today, her story is a testament to the power of redemption and the unshakable strength of the human spirit.

Moving Forward: Finding New Hope at Home Free

Today, Trancita is brimming with plans for the future. As an ambassador for Five Keys, a groundbreaking nonprofit, supporting over 25,000 at-risk and in-risk individuals across California, she says, “I feel I’m really living out my purpose. Through the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition I’m working with other women who are dedicated to demanding transformation, helping women in prison hold hope, and push forward toward a future where safety and justice belong to all of us.”

During the winter holidays, she also reunited with all of her brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and nieces and nephews at a week-long of gatherings at her brother’s home in Riverside County.

The Amazon trucks that pull up with deliveries — an Apple Watch, a Ninja blender, clothing, toiletries, and everything she needs for her transition — at her Home Free apartment are testament to the compassion and caring her family is wrapping her in.

“It is the simple things, like standing on a lawn, holding a fork and napkin, (instead of plastic and paper), having a key… It is overwhelming… It just reminds me every day that God is good.”

These days she’s focused on her job and volunteer work. But she says she’s also looking forward to one day soon a shopping trek to a Dollar Tree store, going to Disneyland, and riding a ferris wheel.

Good Job. Keep Going, Keep Going:” Patrick Bayona’s Journey from Jail to Purpose Through Art and Service

Incarcerated during his early thirties, Patrick Bayona’s journey to self-discovery began in the harsh isolation of the “hole” at 850 Bryant Jail. It was there, confined to a cramped space with 10 violent offenders for six months, that he discovered the transformative power of art.

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With nothing but a few #2 pencils and paper, Patrick began creating portrait art — lots of sketches of his wife, Sarah, landscapes, — hundreds of drawings. When a Five Keys teacher took notice of his artwork, she added colored pencils and pastels to his art supplies and assigned him to coordinate a team to create the posters, 40 of them, to decorate the living pod for a Pacific Islander event.

Soon, Patrick was drawing greeting cards for fellow jail mates to send to their families and friends, earning him a little cash for snacks. A Five Keys teacher and a Five Keys counselor, both named Jackie, also encouraged him, and he says it “pointed me in the right direction.”

“Art kept me going, kept me sane,” says Patrick, 39. “It’s as if creativity was the first positive thing I did for myself and gave me a place to process why I was always so angry.” Before long, he was finding solace and a new sense of purpose in every stroke.

A Story of Redemption and Resilience

Fast forward to today. After his release from jail in May 2020, Patrick continued his transformative work with Five Keys and was hired as a wellness ambassador at Five Keys’ Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center. In 2022 he was promoted to Activities Coordinator, where he works full-time running everything from daily yoga and meditation to art classes and peace circles.

Patrick also is completing his final semester of a four-and-a-half year, full-ride scholarship at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. The opportunity was awarded through a partnership with Five Keys on the agreement that Patrick could successfully complete a semester at Laney College in Oakland, which he mastered with a 3.5 GPA.

Overcoming Adversity: Life Before Five Keys

Patrick’s story speaks volumes about the opportunity Five Keys, the San Francisco-based accredited charter school has offered to more than 30,000 at-risk and in-risk individuals across California. He’s a living tribute to the fact that creativity, education, community service and personal reflection and growth, along with the kindness and support of caring individuals and a second chance, can change lives in the most challenging environments.

Patrick is the first to say, “I’m not proud of my past and it’s still a work in progress. I remember being in a peacekeeping circle training at Five Keys and one of the women said how wealthy she feels in a social sense not in a money sense. But she said it was the first time in her life she felt supported and cared for. I realized that was the first time I realized that for myself. I too feel overjoyed with this kind of wealth that these relationships bring to my life.”

Good Job. Keep Going. Keep Going!

Patrick says the pivotal moment that led him to seek change was when one of the professors at the university spotted him painting his art and said: “Good job, keep going, keep going.”

It’s become his personal mantra. “Whenever I am having a challenging time, I keep saying that to myself, ‘Keep going, keep going,” says Patrick.

Five Keys counselor, and one of “the Jackies,” Jackie Gordon* also was one of the carers who encouraged Patrick to turn his life around and to amplify his own voice and the voices of others who need to be seen and heard.

The Beat Within: Giving Back to the Community

These days, Patrick is committed to helping those others, especially homeless individuals, find meaning in their lives.

“The men and women here at the Navigation Center inspire me with their courage and authenticity every day,” says Patrick. “They face challenges most people could never imagine. I am inspired by Kevin, who reminds me to work on my martial arts, which has helped him with his addictions and on days he just wants to give up.

And, Maria, who was so courageous to leave her family and not stay trapped in alcoholism and domestic violence. She has no income, nothing, but she can be herself here and she is working on creating a new life. They help me to reflect on what I did and to know that I need to treat my partner with respect and kindness, to treat everyone that way. It is a daily struggle. I started drinking at age six and was an alcoholic by 12.

I was out of my mind. But I don’t want to dwell in that shame and am working very hard to be a good, productive person.”

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Exciting news is that Patrick has donated his artwork (13 pieces) to help raise funds for Five Keys at the 21st Anniversary Celebration through the silent auction.

The Beat Goes On

When he’s not at work, Patrick is a turntablist, performing as a DJ throughout northern California, focusing much of his musical work on fundraising, like at a recent San Jose event for rare diseases. Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a crossfader-equipped DJ mixer. He also shares his artwork and has mentored other aspiring artists through The Beat Within, “A publication of art and writing from inside.” 

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His most proud relationship is with his wife Sarah, “who is my best friend, and has taught me to understand what it is to live a good life.” says Patrick. Sarah is the person he admires the most. “Sarah helps me step out of the box, understanding what travel and taking a real break really means. We love to cook together and discuss politics.” Last January, the couple traveled to Hawaii. “We’ve got so many things we want to do together.”  

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* Note: Sadly, Jackie Gordon died in 2023. As a lead facilitator in the jails, Jackie left an indelible impact on Patrick and countless incarcerated students and clients. In a tribute at her memorial service, the 69-year-old was said to be known for her warmth, kindness, and genuine care for everyone she encountered. Her dedication to clients and guests was unparalleled, leaving an enduring mark on the community. Jackie’s journey with Five Keys began officially on July 1, 2011, and spanned over two decades as a servant to Five Keys’s underserved communities. She understood the power of providing support and resources to those who needed it most, often going above and beyond to ensure their well-being. Her presence was a source of inspiration, and her guidance helped many individuals navigate the challenges they faced. Jackie’s passion, dedication, and impact on all of us will always be remembered. “She changed my life,” says Patrick. “It still brings me to tears when I think of the support, she gave me at a time when I needed her compassion most.”

You Can! They Will! Don’t Ever Give Up!

From Student to Principal Advocate: How Monique Kammer Turned Setbacks into Steppingstones

At 15, Monique Kammer became pregnant and was kicked out of high school.

“I was one of ‘those kids,” she says. “I was basically told, ‘We don’t do pregnancies, get out,” says Monique. She owes her future and is eternally grateful to a teacher, Mrs. Brown, who she says told her, “This is not the end of life for you. We will find another way.”

Against all odds, she did! She achieved her high school GED, then junior college, where at the same time she financed her education working as a bus driver in the Rialto school district, the same school district where she went to grade school.

Fast-forward almost 40 years, Monique holds a Doctor of Education and Social Justice, a master’s in educational administration, a Bachelor’s in English, is a certified biblical studies graduate, runs her own education consultancy and helped lead education reform in the United Arab Emirates.

Today she oversees the high school education of more than 500 male inmates as the Principal of Pitchess Detention Center for Five Keys. The school provides educational services to three different areas in the detention center, including a maximum-security facility in Castaic, CA.

“The fact that I was a teen who got kicked out of school because I was pregnant, and now am an EdD who is helping the people Five Keys serves who face very tough roads is so significant for me and is the way I can give back,” says Monique, biological mom of Raneisha, 36, and Mark, 29, stepmom to Sascha, 28 and grandmother of four. 

On her LinkedIn Monique describes herself, as “Author | Social Justice Advocate | Education Consultant | Speaker | Ambassador for Christ.”

Becoming a Powerful Advocate

Monique has carved out a path that not only led her to success but has also made her a powerful advocate for those who have been left behind. Her journey from a teenage mom to the helm of California’s oldest criminal detention facility has included serving eight years as a bus driver for her childhood school district in Rialto, California. She’s taught English in middle schools and high schools; been a high school cheerleading coach and worked her way up to vice principal and principal, working largely in school districts in underserved neighborhoods with African American and first-generation Hispanic students.

“I take a no child left behind approach,” she says. “I don’t focus on making students perfect, I ask them to move one step ahead at a time.

Unlocking Futures

Her story speaks volumes about the power of education to transform lives when individuals are empowered and supported. With social justice, inclusivity and leadership driving her every action, Monique brings her mantra, “You Can! They Will! Don’t Ever Give Up!” to Five Keys.

Last summer, just months into her principal’s position at Five Keys overseeing 11 teachers, Monique was especially proud of the 17 men who walked down the graduation aisle with their high school diplomas in hand.

Most of them wrote an essay on how they now have hope,” says Monique. “I told them, your diploma has no expiration date, it is the key to unlocking your futures. It will wait for you in five, or even 10 years; it has no expiration. No matter how bleak your circumstances can seem, there is always hope. I know that and the graduation ceremony of these men is all about giving people hope.”

The Power of Diversity and Inclusivity

 At the heart of Monique’s leadership philosophy is a deep belief in the power of diversity.

“I passionately believe that a team that is diverse is unstoppable,” says Monique. “With contributions of various perspectives, values, backgrounds, insights, abilities, and enthusiasms, the possibilities are endless.” She adds that true innovation stems from a culture of inclusivity, where everyone who contributes feels valued, appreciated, and empowered because of the attributes that make them unique.

Defining Life Purpose

Monique chronicles her experiences in her book,  I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me That! Messages to Those Who Come After Me. The book is meant to bring that hope to people of all ages who are wondering if they have a life purpose, to help them identify their capabilities and gifts and to release the heavy weight of past decisions that haunt them and holds them back from claiming the life they deserve.  

In the book she speaks to readers: “Let me tell you something I wish someone would have told me: I know how to beat those feelings. I will help you find healing and show you how to let go of the past and embrace your future! How do I know? Because I've been there. Discover the messages that I wish someone would have told me. I pray that my messages can help you become the strong, courageous, and confident person God intended you to be!”

Outside work, Monique and her husband hit the California highways in their RV, camping, exploring new places, and lifelong learning. Spring Break this year they are headed with the whole clan, grandkids and all, to Utah for skiing.

“There’s always a new adventure or opportunity to explore,” she says.

The impact of domestic violence on women in prison for killing their abusers

By LaMonica Peters
Published  October 17, 2024, 11:12pm PDT
KTVU FOX 2

SAN FRANCISCO - October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and a newly released study from Stanford surveyed women incarcerated for killing their abusers. The head researcher says the findings help paint a picture of how domestic violence impacted their lives.  

Researchers found that there is a pipeline from intimate partner violence to prison. The women at Five Keys Home Free in San Francisco say they’re working to help survivors of domestic violence have a second chance after prison.

"Actually, in the first month, they kind of just let me get the feel of being free," said Katheryn Spiak, a former participant with Five Keys Home Free, a transitional program for survivors after prison. 

Spiak says she served nearly 13 years in prison for killing her boyfriend. When she was released last year, Five Keys Home Free provided a shared apartment, helped her find a job and provided other services. Now she’s working for the agency, in graduate school and living on her own for the first time in her life.

"I was in a very toxic, abusive relationship. It’s something I didn’t know how to get out of. I didn’t know how to get out of it. Unfortunately, I grew up with abuse, so I didn’t know anything else," said Spiak. 

Spiak says she continues on a healing journey though she regrets taking someone else’s life. Debbie Mukamal is the Executive Director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center and lead researcher of "Fatal Peril", a study about women in prison for killing their abusers. It surveyed 650 women incarcerated in Chino and Chowchilla and found that intimate partner violence often led women to long prison sentences for acts of survival.

"Nearly ¾ of the women who are incarcerated for murder or manslaughter experienced intimate partner violence in the year before the offense took place. That means no matter who they killed or who they were held responsible for killing, ¾ of the women there were in toxic, abusive relationships," said Mukamal. 

"This is one of the apartments here at Home Free where two of the ladies live. This is the living room, and this is their apartment for at least six months to a year," said Tammy Johnson, Five Keys Home Free Program Director. 

Johnson manages six Home Free apartment units in San Francisco, and she was once a part of the program. She says in the early 90s she received a life sentence for being present during a murder while she was being sex-trafficked. Governor Jerry Brown commuted her sentence in 2018.

"My stepsister introduced me to her pimp, who eventually became my pimp, and I stayed. I stayed with him, and I was human trafficked for 32 years," said Johnson. 

Today Johnson is married and her work with Home Free was featured in the New York Times.

"One thing about 5 Keys: 5 Keys is a place of 2nd chances. They gave me my 2nd chance in January 2020."

Mukamal says she wants the study to encourage the criminal justice system to screen more for domestic violence in murder cases. Five Keys is a non-profit organization and raises money to operate. If you’d like to donate, click here. 

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Principal Helps Build a Bright Future for LA’s Boyle Heights Teens

With 20 years of experience in education, Sucari Epps is the proud principal at Five Keys Boyle Heights youth site in Los Angeles. Hailing from a family of pioneering Black women — her grandmother was an employment specialist for the veteran’s administration and her mom a probation officer — her path to becoming a principal was not linear.

Five Keys graduation night, June 2024

“I had planned on a career as a lawyer or in politics,” the 44-year-old LA resident says. “But teaching seemed to choose me.”

And, making a difference in the lives of young people through education became her calling.

Today, in a neighborhood that has one of the highest rates of gang violence in America, Sucari may not hold the title of attorney or lawmaker, but her vision for making a difference goes far beyond legislative changes in the lives of predominantly Latino students in this underserved barrio. She’s helping them imagine the unimaginable. A stone’s throw from downtown Los Angeles, gang members are part of the scenery of Boyle Heights. But it’s not just the physical violence, it’s the violence of unemployment, segregation, isolation and an educational system that blatantly ignores and kicks the neighborhood’s teens to the curb.

“These students can barely go outside our building because we are surrounded by two gangs,” she says. “We’ve got bullet marks on the windows and gang members will pull up dressed all in black wearing black hoodies threatening our students. We’re confiscating drugs, knives and vape pens. But yet, somehow inside these doors, the students have learned to speak the academic language, to feel safe and to find new hope. Trust and respect for the students and each other are key.”

The school is made up of students ages 16 to 24 and currently has 56 students enrolled. In June of 2024, 10 students graduated with a high school diploma. Five Keys shares the building and partners with the Boyle Heights Youth Technology Center at 1600 E. 4th St. in Los Angeles.

That’s why she says it’s so exciting to be part of the Five Keys’ school system, which not only aligns with her social justice beliefs, but has the audacity to instill the values that will guide these young people to become responsible and compassionate contributors to the community.

“One of the students I was really proud of is a young lady who really struggled with mental health issues, living with an alcoholic and extremely verbally abusive mother,” says Sucari. I was astonished how she arrived day after day and found the tools and resources to stay focused from our counselors, to joining the student council. I’m so proud to say that today she is in college studying to become psychologist. She’s told me she wants to get her doctorate.

Sucari’s journey from her aspirations to join the legal or political system is an inspiring testament to the transformative potential of educators who are committed to making a difference in their communities.

“Sucari is so passionate, compassionate and really cares about our students and helping them each individually,” says Kelley Alley, SoCal Reginal Superintendent, who supervises Sucari and the principals. “She goes above and beyond by making sure each student is connected to the resources they need.”

In addition to Five Keys Boyle Heights, Sucari recently was appointed principal of Healthright360-Prototypes, which provides education to women who are rebuilding their lives and the lives of their children in a community impacted by substance use, mental illness and domestic violence, and the Pomona school.

From launching a student council to taking students on weekly field trips to Hollywood and bringing in CPR training so students can get certified in case they face life-threatening situations in the community they live, “Sucari is always innovating and looking at ways to improve what we offer to students,” said Kelley.

Sucari graduated with a degree in English Writing and a Master’s in Special Education from California State University in Northridge and a PhD in Education Leadership and Administration from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

Her ultimate goal has always been to lead a school program or programs that foster positive learning experiences for at-promise youth and/or students with significant social/emotional/behavioral needs as a mentor, coach to instructors, and/or intensive intervention support provider. 

“My goal is that these young men and women of color will never again feel limited in their opportunities,” says Sucari. “I’m looking forward to the years ahead, growing this program and watching as together we are transforming lives.”

When she’s not at work, Sucari is trailblazing new journeys traveling on her motorcycle to cities and the countryside near and far from Los Angeles. “I love to make new discoveries and create new adventures.”

CA set to cut Freedom Project, aimed at reducing mass incarceration

Mission Local
by Griffin Jones
May 30, 2024, 11:08 am

The Freedom Project, a first-of-its-kind program, has helped 88 people, with 500 still waiting

Left to right: Tammy Garvin, Belinda Anderson and Jamesetta Guy at Tuesday's Freedom Project luncheon. All were housed at Chowchilla for several decades.

On Tuesday afternoon, in a bright restaurant facing Aquatic Cove, a group of women in their 60s listened to each other, engrossed. 

“I was afraid to start a stove — I hadn’t done it in so long,” said Sally Johnson. “I thought I was gonna blow the house up!”

“I hadn’t walked up stairs in 32 years,” said Belinda Anderson, nodding so her long, purple braids shook. “When I started walking up them, I thought, ‘Oh, Lord, I’m out of breath!’” They laughed. 

For 32 years, Anderson, a Bayview native, was serving a life sentence without parole in Chowchilla, a women’s prison in the Central Valley that is entirely ground-level. Johnson, a transgender woman, got out of prison this past November after serving almost 40 years. The two were at a luncheon with around 25 other San Franciscans who had committed crimes in their youth and went on to serve decades behind bars.

Both were released in 2022, thanks to the Freedom Project, a program established in 2020 by the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office that reexamines the cases of prisoners booked in the county. If certain criteria are met, attorneys will recommend a reduction in someone’s sentence, returning the case to the courts.

As of today, 88 people have been able to return home since the Freedom Project launched. There are around 500 people to go, said Danielle Harris, the project’s managing attorney. 

But now, their futures are in limbo: For the second year in a row, Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget axes the Public Defense Pilot Program, the three-year state grant funding the Freedom Project. 

Counties around the state welcomed this grant as a godsend. Notably, it’s the first of its kind for the state’s public defenders, many of whom have far lower budgets than their counterparts in the district attorney’s office.

Statewide, the Freedom Project is a slim .014 percent of the state’s budget, which is one reason Harris and her team are holding out hope that a last-minute outpouring of support could protect the Public Defense Pilot Program before the June 15 deadline.

This morning, California’s legislature returned their budget revision to the governor, which includes preserving, at least in part, some of the program’s funding. Newsom will now review it and either accept or reject their changes June 15. 

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Second Chance Program Offers Former Prison Inmate New Lease on Life - A story of hope and pushing others forward

Before he graduated high school this May through Five Keys Charter Schools,  Joseph Riddlesperger, 27, spent most of his teen years “catching cases.”  Bounced from juvenile hall to foster homes, he was kicked out of high school. Eventually he ended up incarcerated for almost four years. The collateral consequences of a trauma-filled upbringing led him to multiple convictions for vehicle theft, DUI, drug possession, stealing cars, and evading the law.

Graduation day at the Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on June 7, 2024.

After being released from prison and moving in with an uncle, Joseph couldn’t break the cycle and found himself facing another five-year stint in prison. 

But providence stepped in through an emotional prison visit from his mother and a surprise offer from a judge who told him “You are the worst possible candidate for a drug program.” At his sentencing hearing, the judge offered Joseph a second chance to turn his life around:  The deal: wave prison time and attend a two-year bootcamp-style program, The Jericho Project in Brisbane, CA. 

 “My lifestyle was getting high and catching cases, not a very productive member of society,” says Joseph. “I was always self-sabotaging. But then my mother came to the prison to visit me and it got me. She was crying saying she couldn’t survive one more night waiting for a phone call and wondering if I was going to make it home. She told me how I had once been the role model for my nieces and nephews. But my13-year-old nephew said I wasn’t anymore. That is when I felt I lost everything. I didn’t want to be that guy. I want to be better than that.” 

Enter the Jericho Project, a humane alternative to prison that provides treatment and training to chemically dependent former offenders who are committed to recovery rehabilitation. There, men like Joseph receive housing, treatment, education, physical training, social development and vocational training so they can become productive and successful members of society again. It’s a tough haul. Newbies are not allowed calls or any contact with family members for 90 days. 

“Joseph’s one of the ‘lucky’ ones, he got two years here, when most of us just get one,” says Matt Jones, intake director for Jericho, who is a graduate of the program where 70 men including Joseph currently live. “I say that sarcastically because 60 percent of the men don’t make it through one year here. But Joseph is close to completing two years, a very strict sentence. The way Joseph has turned himself around has been a major pillar in my own recovery and growth. He has become a leader helping the new men who arrive here and they respect him because they know he gets where they have been.” 

Months away from completing the Jericho program, Joseph works daily as a warehouse manager as a diesel mechanic. After hours, he is a personal trainer at Jericho.

Jericho Project’s educational curriculum is a key component of treatment, crucial to assisting clients like Joseph in developing into a functional, self-reliant individual. The partnership with Five Keys Charter Schools is key to that transformation. 

Joseph says his high school graduation was a monumental event he never could have imagined. To support him, his supervisor from work attended the ceremony. “It meant the world to me to have him there,” says Joseph. 

Joseph receives his diploma. It’s official.

Like it’s biblical metaphor, the Jericho Project invites and challenges former offenders like Joseph who often are considered society’s throw aways to get and be better, to achieve what seems impossible to others.

Joseph’s gratefulness for his Five Keys teacher, Tanya Kennedy, doesn’t even scratch the surface of what he says she has done to guide him through the challenging classroom. 

“She is so full of life and spent so much time giving me extra help in class,” says Joseph. “I had such a hard time with economics, but she spent so much time breaking it down in details until I got it.” 

The respect is mutual. 

“Joseph is an inspiration for a lot of people,” says Five Keys’ teacher Kennedy, who works onsite at Jericho. “Like many of the men he didn’t have the greatest upbringing, yet he doesn’t hold grudges and is very grateful for his renewed relationship with his family. He is up for any challenge and is a shining example of someone who has persevered and pushed through tremendous hardship to do better every day. He has become like a third son to me.” 

Tanya Kennedy and Joseph

Joseph is keenly aware of the tremendous opportunity The Jericho Project and Five Keys are giving him to break free of his past and work hard toward a new life where he will flourish and grow. The U.S. prison system is based on punishment. The problem is, it doesn’t work — more than half of people released from prison are back within three years, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

What’s ahead? Joseph hopes to flip his high school diploma into a college degree, and wants to become an electrical mechanic.  
“I want to set an example for my family and the other men here, become a role model and a productive citizen,” says Joseph. 

Despite the barriers that society has in place, and continues to reinforce, Joseph says he and Matt are proof that you can lead a positive life after prison. He shares his experience with the young men entering the Jericho program.

About The Jericho Project

Jericho Project was established in 1995 as a structured, residential treatment program for recovery from substance abuse and criminal behavior. The primary objective is recovery through development of the mind, body, and spirit. The program facilities include several of our state-licensed private residential facilities and our outpatient treatment center. Jericho Project's first phase housing includes two residential houses. The houses are designed for newcomers who have been in the program less than three months. Our second phase housing consists of our 18-unit apartment complex. The apartment complex is designed to accommodate senior members. Our third phase housing consists of our 11-unit apartment complex designed for the alumni in our aftercare program. All residential housing is supervised by senior staff members. Our outpatient treatment center contains large open rooms for members to conduct treatment meetings, educational/ vocational classes, warehousing/forklift certification classes, corporate offices, and professional gym, which is designed to promote a healthy lifestyle. The center is central to the program's structure, training, and activities.

Bringing Rhyme and Reason to Make a Difference for the Five Keys Community

Spotlight on Dorick Scarpelli, VP of College, Career, and Reentry Pathways

To write poetry is to be vulnerable, to feel free. To trust the people around you.

Teaching literature and lyric art in a jail, an underworld environment designed around confinement and censorship, was perhaps the least likely place Dorick Scarpelli envisioned his future.

But in 2003, that’s exactly what the transplanted Massachusetts-born-and-raised 20-something guy found himself doing when he met a “very passionate” woman named Sunny Schwartz (founder of Five Keys). “I remembered going into my interview at the Sherriff’s Office and was so moved by her powerful vision and passion around launching a restorative justice program.”

“Would he consider joining on,” she asked.

Armed with a Master’s in Fine Arts from Goddard College and an Ivy League fellow and undergrad from Brown University, within a month, Dorick found himself designing lesson plans. He’d done some work previously as a creative writing instructor for teens inside a juvenile detention facility. But after moving with his brother to San Francisco, he was ready to get serious about being a changemaker.

As Five Keys launched its first schools for the incarcerated, Dorick rolled in a chalk board, planted himself in the center of the dorm pod at San Francisco’s former County Jail #2 Annex on Bryant Street and went to work. There, in a place meant to contain them, he encouraged female inmates to channel their emotions into poetry. Later he taught at the men’s dorm in San Bruno.

Maybe it was the culture code, the prevailing resistance to education among the deputies, or witnessing up-close what he calls “not exactly humane treatment.” Certainly, the wounds of the criminal justice system have played a major role in propelling and reinforcing Dorick’s lifelong calling to right social justice wrongs and his steadfast devotion to helping the wounded and traumatized find their voice. 

Fast-forward 20 years. Today, as VP of College, Career, and Reentry Pathways for Five Keys, Dorick walks with people from setback to comeback. Wearing many hats, he manages government and private contracts and partnerships throughout northern California and the Los Angeles area that support workforce development and college pathways for Five Keys students. He supervised Five Keys’ mobile classroom program and re-entry programs, along with Five Keys Home Free, a Treasure Island-based trauma-informed reentry program for criminalized survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. He has also served as one of the executive sponsors of Five Keys’ Abide Council (Advancing Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity).

“Dorick is definitely one of the driven changemakers,” says Karen Levine, a social justice activist, and former program coordinator at the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department who joined forces and has served alongside Sunny and founders since the very beginning. Currently she runs WomanAlive, a violence prevention course for the women of Home Free, survivors of violence. “Dorick has his finger on the pulse of the program and does everything to support it and to help provide the resources for the women to re-educate and gain vital communication and intimacy skills to prevent violence in their lives again.”

Dorick Scarpelli (pictured left) at the Five Keys NorCal Class of ’24 graduation

Dorick’s most celebrated role is dad to Arlo, 11, and Teddy, 9, and husband to wife Lauren Dietz, who is currently studying geriatrics at UCSF to become a Nurse Practitioner. Both Lauren and Dorick are active managers for the boys’ soccer teams and during their “free time,” enjoy backpacking and getting out into nature with family time.

Growing up one of seven children, Dorick’s passion for racial justice and serving the underserved began in childhood. The strong faith of both his parents and Catholic social thought served as a guiding light. His father was a career educator and administrator in the public school system in Rockland, supporting students in a small working-class community and his mother was committed to helping others as a social worker.

“What I love about Five Keys is how innovative and tireless everyone is about changing intolerable social justice problems,” says Dorick. “Everyone is not afraid to experiment, to innovate and everyone really, really cares. What I love too is working with people who have turned their lives around, people who remind us that there is always hope, that we all deserve second chances.”

 Dorick Scarpelli (pictured right) at the Five Keys 20th Anniversary Celebration on October 26, 2023

Dorick formerly was a Senior Advisor for the New York City Office of Mayor, Health & Human Services, and Center for Economic Opportunity, winner of the 2012 Harvard Kennedy School’s Innovations in Government Award, and the Young Men’s Initiative (YMI).

He was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, teaching “Criminal Justice Systems and the Impact on Communities.” He also directed a re-entry program that serves young adults involved in the criminal justice system in the Bronx and Harlem.

These days, Dorick says he is inspired daily by the women who run and live at Home Free.

Tammy Johnson and Sunny Schwartz at Home Free

“I think of Tammy (Johnson, residential program director) and how inspiring her lived experience is,” says Dorick. “It is a privilege to work with colleagues who remind me every day to never give up. They show me the value of hard work and a commitment to doing the right thing. And, I think of Sunny (Schwartz), my mentor who reminds me that we are obligated to push back against the injustices in society and that it is our responsibility to work to change them.”

Classical music composition class enriches Bay Area jail

A new classical music composition program has changed the lives of a number of inmates serving time at a Bay Area jail. They recently gathered to listen to performances of pieces they composed themselves, after completing their classes at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility. KTVU's Heather Holmes speaks with retired Correctional Lieutenant Liana Whisler and Program Manager Sergeant Jennifer Aicega about how the class came about and what it aims to accomplish.

View The Video Here

Mission district tiny-homes project opens follow months-long debate

By James Salazar | Examiner staff writer

Sixty new tiny homes opened in the Mission district Monday as part of The City’s efforts to expand temporary shelter for unhoused individuals.

Located at 1979 Mission St., the cabins can accommodate up to 68 people, depending on the number of couples. Each home has a locking door, a bed, storage space, furniture, outlets and heating. Hygiene facilities, a dining area and a common area are also included, while residents will be provided access to meals, case management and health services through a partnership with the Department of Public Health.

“We want people indoors, where it’s safe and where they can get on the path to a more secure, long-term housed environment," Mayor London Breed said in a release. “That’s how we end homelessness for people who need help and it’s how we prevent long-term encampments in our neighborhoods.”

Five Keys Schools and Programs, founded by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department in 2003 to provide diploma programs for adults in county jails, will operate the site and provide on-site social services. The project will cost an estimated $2 million a year to run, according to the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

Mission Cabins is the second cluster of tiny homes built for the unhoused in San Francisco; it comes after 70 cabins were set up at 33 Gough St. in March 2022. After two years, the homes at the Mission site will be taken down and a long-term affordable-housing project will be built in the neighborhood, creating up to roughly 350 new homes.

In a statement, District 9 Supervisor Hillary called the homelessness crisis the “biggest problem facing our city.”

Mission Cabins are the second such row of tiny homes in San Francisco, having been modeled after the 70 cabins set up at 33 Gough St. in March 2022.

Courtesy San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing

“Now approximately 65 people who have been homeless and living on the streets in the Mission will have dignified shelter and around-the-clock social services,” she said. “I believe these cabins will improve many individual lives as well as street conditions in the Mission.”

Ronen threw her support behind the project in the fall after the proposal guaranteed that full-time staff would keep the space clean and safe.

Officials said that The City has expanded shelter capacity by more than 60% since 2018, with 3,900 beds already available and more expected to come online soon. San Francisco has helped more than 15,000 individuals permanently exit homelessness in the last five years, homelessness officials said.

City officials first proposed the Mission district’s tiny homes project in 2022 but faced pushback amid neighborhood concerns. The site’s proximity to the playground at Marshall Elementary School and the kinds of residents it could support were sources of contention.

To address safety concerns, two sets of fencing and storage lockers separate the site from Marshall Elementary’s playground, while there is also one check-in entrance on Mission Street that comes with security cameras.

“The Mission Cabins are a step towards creating more inclusive and compassionate shelter in areas of high need, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive with dignity,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, in a statement.