Social butterfly, Shawn, enjoyed the glamorized nightlife scene until it led to a path of addiction. Ultimately, Shawn was sentenced to federal prison for two separate convictions totaling the better part of a decade. Shawn, a transgender individual who identifies as a woman, shares her journey through the justice system. In this episode, she breaks down the levels of ‘status’ within jails, low and medium security penitentiaries, while explaining how being a “she” in a “he” prison brought feelings of loneliness and depression. Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Shawn gained hope as she began the process of reentry. With the acceptance, support, and encouragement of a residential reentry center, a fresh outlook on life was the catalyst to her current success story. 

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Starting at the tender age of 13, Jodi’s life tumbled down a broken road as her 20-year addiction to methamphetamine began. Learning the pain she was trying to numb by using drugs was actually amplifying her trauma, Jodi offers tremendous wisdom and guidance for others facing addiction. She describes wanting to be there for her children, and for other women, as being the driving force behind her years of sobriety. She takes ownership of her past as she candidly shares, “You cannot keep doing bad things to people and expect to be living a fulfilled life.” Now, Jodi radiates joy as she embraces her passion for helping other women overcome addiction, understand their worth, and share resources available in the community. Who better to reach women along their own broken road than someone who has traveled the same path? After all, she sat where they are as she says, “I was her.”

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With 22 years of experience working inside a federal penitentiary, Thiessen shares a treasure trove of knowledge in this episode. After decades of working in the field of corrections, her passion for helping others has only grown. As she thinks outside of the box to create innovative programs at the prison, she exudes enthusiasm for finding impactful ways to prepare individuals for a new life on the “outside.” 

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By the age of 19, Emmanuel "Manny" Herron entered the federal prison system. Still a teenager, he faced a sentence of 180 months (15 years) in prison. Manny describes his life prior to prison being one of poverty, grief, and anger; a life where he felt lost. 
Upon entering the federal system, Herron was dyslexic and had not learned to read. Finding his faith while incarcerated was the catalyst for his life to truly change course. Herron's petition for clemency was granted in 2016 by President Obama. Exiting the prison system, Herron was a man filled with knowledge, faith, and a fire within his heart to give back to the community he "poisoned" in his prior lifestyle. Although Herron has found tremendous success in the Topeka community, his greatest has been finding his wife and family. Herron's story is one you must hear for yourself, because only his own words do it justice.

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Dr. Donald Denney, Vice President of General Services for Mirror, Inc., joins Melissa Goodman on this episode of Reentry Reframed. Dr. Denney holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. During the first part of his career, Dr. Denney spent 17 years working as a Psychologist at the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, KS. He then transitioned to Regional Drug Abuse Coordinator and then Psychology Administrator for the North Central Region of the Bureau of Prisons for roughly 10 years. During his final 3 years of BOP service, Dr. Denney served as the Central Sector Administrator for Residential Reentry Management Branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This position provided oversight to more than 40 residential reentry centers from Ohio to Colorado, Kansas to North Dakota. He and his staff were responsible for the daily reentry efforts for more than 1,900 federal inmates. His tenure in this position was widely recognized for his communication, fostering the Risk/Need/Responsivity framework, and support of local initiatives to foster reentry. Dr. Denney believes in 'Prescribing the Cure' by gaining an understanding of the barriers justice-involved individuals face, and then providing the solution to those high-needs areas. With more than three decades dedicated to the field, Dr. Denney offers invaluable insight on this episode.

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John Zollicoffer, a U.S. Veteran and former police officer, lived a life of turmoil and crime stemming from his addiction to crack. His parents originally hoped the military would help them to escape the deep south, Jim Crow era. Although he had good role models, early trauma brought him to a life of “madness” in his own words.  John walks us through his story of being lost but never losing hope. As a lifelong criminal incarcerated for a cumulative of more than 20 years in 27 different jails and prisons, Zollicoffer coins himself as “America's Dumbest Criminal-the laughingstock of CCA” for his last robbery involving his hand in his pocket, finger outstretched like a gun barrel.  

The humor of his story kept him sane and gave him clarity of the life he no longer wanted to live. Releasing in his early 60's, Zollicoffer began a new life. He has continued to persevere and now lives a life of faith and redemption. As an author of his own memoir he hopes to publish one day, he strives to inspire others, and ultimately steer them away from this life of incarceration.

Zollicoffer refers to his past life as, “The body of a lunatic… Someone who was lost in the rush of a cocaine hit.”

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Social work is one of the most important career paths, especially in the world of reentry. As corrections and reentry services move forward, criminal justice and social work backgrounds have intersected and overlapped to better serve this population. To build rapport with individuals and guide them through one of the most important transitions in life is something Kendra Howard has found to be incredibly rewarding. Drawing inspiration from her mother’s legacy, Howard shares how social work “chose” her. 

While Howard’s time in Kansas was a short trip around the sun, her impact was huge! Howard provides insight on the impactful work case managers do, the mindset that goes into social work, and how she was able to leave an imprint on those she served through 'Kendra's Kreative Space.’ We can only imagine the people you will help with your servant heart in your career, Mrs. Howard. We wish you well!

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By the age of 17, Gordon Smith struggled with substance use disorder and undiagnosed mental health concerns. Stemming from his addiction, the decisions he made led him to serve nearly a decade in prison. Taking us through his journey of recovery and reentry, he is now pursuing his dreams and helping reduce recidivism from the other side of the bars. Smith describes how key mentors, counseling, and his mindset shift began to open up opportunities he never could have imagined. 

This episode is sponsored by Mirror, Inc. 

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The process of reentering society after incarceration is shrouded in mystery. In this episode, Melissa Goodman, Vice President of Correctional Services, provides insight on how a federal halfway house (Residential Reentry Center) operates. Goodman describes the services provided while also bringing attention to the importance of our community coming together to support justice-involved individuals. By providing a glimpse into some of the barriers those returning from jail and/or prison may face upon their release, our hope is to inform and advocate for better solutions. 

This podcast is brought to you by Mirror, Inc.

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