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Mill Valley woman connects San Quentin inmates to employment resources

Marin Independent Journal - 4/10/2021

Apr. 10—While it's never easy to find a job, especially these days, it can be even more difficult for people with a criminal record. It's something Thedo "Noble" Butler experienced firsthand while he was an inmate at San Quentin State Prison trying to figure out how to get a job from inside the prison. It proved more difficult than he expected.

He expressed his frustration and idea for a job fair for inmates at San Quentin to Mill Valley resident Diana Williams, then a volunteer at the prison. Williams, who has a master's in counseling psychology from Columbia University, realized that more could be done to help men like Butler. She quickly got to work putting together a curriculum to help inmates get jobs upon re-entry in society.

In 2014, Williams founded Prison to Employment Connection, a nonprofit that connects prisoners to the employment resources they need to succeed post-prison. Williams, the nonprofit's executive director, leads the 14-week employment readiness program to San Quentin inmates who are within a year of a release date or have a scheduled parole board hearing within six months. She teaches everything from resume writing to how to approach telling a potential employer about a criminal history to tips on handling possible rejection and other skills leading up to Employer Day, where participants meet and interview with potential employers and service providers from across the Bay Area.

The program's released graduates have a recidivism — or re-offending — rate of 1%, compared to 60% to 65% overall in California.

Williams previously worked with the Environmental Defense Fund, Coral Reef Alliance and Head-Royce School in Oakland.

Q Did your background in counseling contribute to the program's curriculum?

A It helped a little bit in understanding where the men were coming from, and what kind of support they needed. At the end of the session, we have them write how they've changed the most through the program and what's the important thing they've learned. That's where the real truth comes out. A lot of the men grew up in circumstances where they weren't given a sense of self-worth or value; in prison they certainly don't. Seeing them, hearing them, encouraging them and giving them hope really makes a big difference.

Q What stands out from these past few years?

A The human relationships, and seeing the transformation of the men in the class having hope for the future, what they can make of their lives and what they can offer to the workforce. I have always been interested in how people work and what their paths have been and, especially with this population of people, to be able to have such an impact. I don't know if I could have that impact in many other places. It's very inspiring to see what they have been able to do since they have gotten out, and see them having success and change their lives.

Q There're often stereotypes or judgments against former inmates.

A Absolutely. There're a lot of barriers to employment when you have a felony record. What has made a difference on a small scale is having the employers come into the prison to meet the men. Their stereotypes of what the men are disappear and they get to see that, yes, these are people that sometimes made a very serious mistake, but they are people and they have the same desires and hopes that we do. You get to see the humanity in people.

Q What do you want people to know?

A These stereotypes that we have about people who have committed crimes, are just that — stereotypes. There are some people who should stay in prison forever, but most are going to get out and the question then becomes, do we want them to come out better than they went in? The way that the prison system is set up now is for them not to, because there aren't many rehabilitation programs and we know rehabilitation works. To really think about these people as people who are going to back into society, and as a society, what do we need to do to help? And have them come back in a healthy way.

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(c)2021 The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.)

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