VIP Mentors Success Story 2008

The focus of the SCCBA Pro Bono Initiative is to enable more indigent persons to access legal services by helping lawyers gain easier access to those that need assistance through the Probonomatch.org site.  The stories presented here are about those that the volunteer lawyers help. Below is a client story from VIP Mentors. For stories from the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, click here.

Thirteen Going On Thirty… Mary Hernandez has been in the correctional system since she was 13 years old. At 18 she was convicted of strong arm robbery of a bank with a sawed off shotgun. At 23, Mary was convicted of drug trafficking, and was sentenced to six years in prison where she gave birth to her third child six months after beginning her prison term. Although she could have served about five years, she maxed out her prison time due to bad behavior. Mary became one of many for whom prison had become a way of life. During her final two years in prison, Mary completed her GED and attended college classes. At that time, she started to have a new outlook: Mary was nervous about the challenges that lay ahead, but she thought, “I am not coming back here.” In January 2008, at thirty years old, Mary was released after serving over seven years in prison. Paroled to Santa Clara County, Mary enrolled in NCSL’s New Futures Initiative (NFI) life skills class. Forty hours of interview, resume writing and job search skills training helped her focus on the tasks ahead. Once she completed the NFI class, Mary had the opportunity to enroll in a program called VIP Mentors. VIP matches parolees with volunteer attorneys in mentorship matches to create lives that are self-respecting, self-supporting, and crime free. Through VIP Mentors, Mary was matched with Caitlin Whitwell, an attorney working in San Jose. Caitlin and Mary made an immediate connection: Mary told Caitlin of her desire to become a paralegal, and Caitlin was impressed by Mary’s intelligence and determination. With Caitlin’s help, Mary conquered a major challenge to her success outside of prison, social anxiety. Mary was used to thinking, “I’m not like them and they don’t like me,” about almost everyone she encountered. She was surprised to find that Caitlin, a professional attorney, did not judge her for her past. Caitlin took Mary to restaurants and gatherings where Mary met all kinds of new people, and no one treated her like a criminal. Mary contrasts this new experience of acceptance with her perception of prison: “In prison, people expected the worst out of me, so that’s what I gave them.” After conquering her social anxiety, Mary was able to focus on other goals such as finding a job, enrolling in school and getting off parole. Caitlin used her experience to help Mary circulate resumes, apply for financial aid and enroll in community college classes. When Mary was having problems, Caitlin assessed the situation and outlined options for Mary to consider. Mary says, “Caitlin gives me direction, not the answers.” Mary’s family and friends were not the only people to notice her transformation. Her parole agent also took notice, and when Mary was eligible for early discharge of parole the agent wrote a positive progress report. Mary officially completed her parole on December 24, 2008, two years earlier than anticipated. Mary and Caitlin celebrated with lunch and a bouquet of flowers. Mary has some advice for other parolees considering participating in VIP Mentors: Your mentor has the skills – they’ve done it. They are offering you a gift: their knowledge and skills. I had to learn to integrate, and what better way than from someone who’s done it themselves? Anyone who can, should do VIP. But remember, your mentor is not a miracle worker. You get out what you put in. Mary completed parole, and she’s free in a way she hasn’t been in a very long time. From the age of 13 when she first got in trouble with the law, Mary never considered the possibility of ever getting out of prison and off parole. Now, Mary has goals for herself and plans for how to achieve them – and a lifelong friend in her mentor Caitlin.