BALTIMORE — "You expect people to serve time and not rehabilitate them, and then you let them come home with no reentry home plan? The crimes will continue to happen. The delinquent behavior will continue to happen because no one is talking to each other” said Janette Graham, Executive Director for No Struggle No Success.
At No Struggle No Success Inc. they're having those conversations. The Baltimore-based program helps people who have been incarcerated, come home and re-enter into their community. According to the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform, the state’s recidivism rate is over 40 percent, meaning nearly half of those released from prisons return within three years.
"We're able to support peer mediation, manage conflict, and offer character development classes,” said Graham.
For every family Graham helps, she’s healing some of her own family history.
"It was very dark for me at that time. I will tell you that all the trauma I endured, I put on that guilt and said, ‘If my son is hurting someone or someone’s hurting my son, I’m responsible for it.’ So I felt like I should be doing that time instead of him,” said Graham.
After getting into some trouble at school, her son Jajyevoune was placed in a detention center. From there, he got into a few fights, and one of those fights led to a first-degree assault.
"There were times I stayed in a room and didn’t even take care of my other children. I went through a deep depression during the time that he was sentenced, still trying to figure out how to get to these prisons, and who was supposed to help me parent him from behind the wall,” said Graham.
In 2015, Graham’s son was sentenced to 25 years. He was only 15 years old.
"We didn’t understand what plea deals were, we didn’t understand how a child could be waived up as an adult. And not having money, I depleted my retirement, sold shoes, went on Facebook to get money for legal fees, and that still didn’t help me,” said Graham.
Graham had to learn how to navigate the legal system. That’s how No Struggle No Success (NSNS) started. Jajyevoune wanted to help people and their families find success in hard times.
"I thought I was the only person in the world with a son charged as an adult, only to find out there were 688 others at that time,” said Graham.
NSNS helps with housing, healthcare, employment, but over the years the program has grown larger than just a reentry support. They also help younger people, an initiative started by one of Janette's other sons.
"If we are able to have something that attracts youth away from delinquent behaviors, why not put that into place? And Jayquan has been able to do that,” said Graham.
"We’re bridging that gap between adults and youth, that voice for youth is very strong,” said Jayquan Jenkins, NSNS Youth Mentor.
Graham’s son, Jayquan, created a Youth Advisory Committee to help people ages 18 to 24 with things like college prep or starting a business. The Baltimore Children and Youth Fund helps to provide financial support to keep programs running.
"Some people need help. Some people need guidance when it comes to certain things, especially if they don’t have the resources to do that ,” said Yasmin Carter a mentee in the youth program.
They provide Yasmin with a space for her growing nail business. She came across the youth program after No Struggle No Success helped her brother when he was released from prison.
"I felt a sense of relief because I knew he wasn't going to be able to do that on his own. He struggled with trying to do things when he was out. I feel like him having that guidance put him on the right path,” said Carter.
“NSNS supports not just individuals but the community as a whole and they continue to give back and we need more programs like it,” said Jenkins.
