>> narrator: tonight on peontlinhundreds ole are put on parole every day, and many of them wind up back behind bars. >> it is not unusual for parolees to come back once or twice once they're out.co they didn'it a new crime, but they're violating the rules of their supervision. >> like, right now, even going in this store, i can get, il. can end up back in j and i'm only getting a coffee. >> narrator: but many states are trying to break the cycle. >>e's given me every reaso lock him up, and i'm still working with him. >> really didn't know it was that serious... >> it's extremely serious. you're also going on gps today. >> narrator: filmed over a year and a half... >> why would you do this tody some? my life is pretty much ruinedee for the next (bl three years... >> narrator: .th unprecedented access to parolees and their

supervors... >> ...matter about your family members? >> inly care about you. >> you don't care about me. >> the... i'm in charge of your supervision...th >> then sa, don't say you care about me. >> narrator: ...and the make-or-break relationships between them. >> do you understand what you've riously, like, i'm here trying to save your ass, but i don't even know if you understand what you've done. >> some people think that being on parole is, you're free. you're not. >> i have to believe that she is going to do good. i make a living on second chances. that's what parole is. >> narrator: tonight, in collaboration with the new york timife on parole." >> "frontline" is made possible by contributions to your p station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, mmitted to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional support is provided by the abrams foundation,

committed to excellence in journalism. the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues.jo th and helen glessner family trust, supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and inspires. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. additional support for "life on parolewas provided by the w.k. kellogg foundation and the john d. and catherine t. macarthu foundation. (birds chirping) >> narrator: for a year and a connecticut as they lesonople in and were put on parole. >> i've been incarcerated for a little over eight-and-a-half years.

the judge gave me ten years, ind thought it was the ef the world, and here i am, ten days i'm going to be walking out the door. starting my lifever. >> narrator: the state is trying to use paroleo as part of an effort reduce its prison population. >> hen i get out, you know, hopefully i get out of here and stay out of here. i've beehere before, so it's easier said than done. >> narrator: it is now giving parole to more of its prisoners than ever before. >> what are you going to d differently to stay out? >> is abide by all the rules. (laughs) >> always good, all right, goo luck. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. how to keep them from returning to prison. >> i'm proud to be graduating the prison drug program today because i did it with all you gentlemen. (applause) i've been waiting for this day for the past 21 months. next stop outside. so, pretty sure i'll see you there.

(woman sighs) >> i just want him home. th i've been waiting fo for too long. >> open, open! he >>erroll was coming home, i was more than excited. we were waiting for him to get out on parole and to come home. when you love somebody and you want to make a future with them, you kind of feel like all that is on hold. (woman shouts and squeals) >> narrator: erroll brantley is being released from prison early, after serving 20 months for drug possession and burglary. >> hey! >> oh my god, it's been so long since i had a hug. i got a buncof hugs from everybody. >> to just be able to put your arms around somebody is a huge

thing. >> i got to go to parole. >> do we know ere that is? >> 100 sheldon street, hartford, connecticut. i don't even feel like i woke up in prison this morning. you know? i've been coming to prison sie 1999 now. and i've been in and out of jail 11 times. (sirens wailing) this time i got out was the first time that i was on parole. >> brantley. >> i was definitely frightened. i didn't know what to expect. >> released from carl robinson, correct? >> yes. >> parole sentence of a little less than four years? >> narrator: erroll's parole officer is mark pawlich.ee he's ba parole officer for 18 years. >> so what was your crime over there? >> burglary. >> burglary, is that kind of your thing? >> no, not at all. i was... for drugs.ho

>> and drug ofe is? >> heroin. >> mr. brantley, you could just read, had a long, long history of opiate addiction. and if you're in this business long enough, you know the chances are at some point it will rear its ugly head. so, now he's on your watch, sogo yoto make sure you're dotting i's and crossing t's, that's for sure. 'r so what gonna do today is i'm gonna have you review these conditions now. so what i need you to do is read every one and make sure you understand each condition and then sign at the end. >> narrator: among the conditions of his release, erroll will have to undergo, mandatory drug testid he's barred from contact with prior victs, which includes his girlfriend, katherine. >> and is long-tm planning with your mom at that address? >> no, i want to go back home.ve i don't ith my mom, i actually live with my girlfriend katherine. >> that's why i'm asking.he >> but was a problem at the jail. they said that she was a victim and they took her off my visiting list after, like, 17 months. >> who's the person? >> katherine eaton >> was she a victim or not? >> no, she wasn't.

>> what are they saying she was a victim of? >> burglary. >> did you ever burglarize your >> no, yeah, i took my tv to the pawn shop. >> all right. se department of correcti has a policy. when an offender is released, they can have no contact withio prev crime victims or co-defendants.ll she the police on him, she got him incarcerated and at least got him sober-- or cleaned up for a while. but she then cated a... the situation in the department's eyes that she was a crime victim because he took her tv set. there's no staying overnight there, there's no nothing. y . >> all right, following you out. >> narrator: erroll leaves and goes straight home withth ine, violating the terms of his parole on his very fit day. >> i just wanted to stay close to the people that i love and feel protected, and i understana that parole, the to do what they have to do. but i was happy, i was home.ll that's have up here, that's all i need.ye , welcome home, absolutely.

it's a good place to be. i've been trying to gehere for a long time. >> narrator: for the pastye severas, connecticut has been giving offenders like erroll more opportunities to earnarly release, and there are now almost 5,000 people supervised by parole here. but about a third of all parolees end up violating the terms of their release a are reincarcerated. >> ...sentenced to prison, and there's fer people being released from prison. if you're on parole, you're still sort of in the deparent of correction. you're being monitored in the community by a parole officer but in any dayfor any type of violation, they can take you directly back into prison because you're still technically serving your sentence, right? >> narrator: mike lawlor is one of the officials trying to turn this around and give parolees more chances once they're out. >> it is not unusual for parolees to come back once or twice once they're out, right? they didn'commit a new crime, but they're violating the rules of their supervision.

>> narrator: one change has bee the creation oecial unit devoted exclusively to the needs of women parolees.fi r katherine montoya helped start the unit. >> women are a different population, they have different needs, their supervision nds to be different. my ladies oftentimes are the primary caretakers of their childr. if they're not doing good, if i remove them from the situation, fwho's going to take care those kids? so, you know, it's... do a lot of thinking after hours whether the decisions that i am making are correct or not, so , jessica. i haven't met her yet, but i re her case. she came in when she was 18 years old.s shing to be doing five years of parole with me. this is a pivotal time for her.e she s to make a decision right now whether this was just a one-time deal that happened ia her lind she's going to move on from this, or ether she is going to be a returning customer-- someone who keeps coming in and t of the system.

>> i did ten years. olwas young, i was 18 year i don't think i should be on nobody else's supervision.ve i'een getting watched for ten years, okay? people stripping me, all that. i've been through it. like, i don't think that i need to be on nobody's parole. >> nartor: jessica proctor went to prison for slashing another girl's face with a razor blad >> i didn't kill nobody, but you would have thought i did kill somebody, ough. ten years? five years parole? l i think that wastle bit excessive. so i do hold some type of resentment. >> narrator: she got out of prison six days ago.he this ifirst meeting with officer montoya. >> so hi, jessica. i'm officer montoya, your parole officer. so when you come here you have to clear the metal detector. on parole is like you're free.ng they're not free, but there's going to be a measure of freedom that is going to be afforded to you.

we're going to be together for a while, it's going to be five years.ye we might not see e-to-eye every single time. but the point is that we have to wo together, and the bette you and i get along, the chances g e your supervision is go be successful. let's go pull a urine.g, jessica was yoot in trouble, went to jail for a substantial amount of time, came back out. she really wants to reconnect with her son. that's one of her biggest goals in her life, to get her son bacf into her to be a mother to her son. >> so this is doe's bio mom, jessica, my cousin. this is when she first went into prison. >> narrator: jessica gave up custody of her son, donte, and for now they are not living together.nk >> i tor a long time he thought that i was his bio mom, until my sist pregnant. and he said, "i was in your stomach like that," and i was like, "no, papa, you weren't in my stomach, you were in mommy

jessica's stomach." th and then fro on i would just tell him, "you're different than most kids, because mostop only have one mom, and you have three moms." >> when i was growing up the only thing i really knew was, like, she's locked up, and i'm like, "she's locked , so, when is she coming out? when can i see her?"ct >> recong with family is so difficult. reunification withheir kids, i always advocate for family counseling, for... not only for the offender but as a family, everyone together, because there's a lot of ht feelings, there's a lot of anger. and people don't have a lot of skills to be able to maintain a situation like that, so they'll go back to their behaviors, you know, which is like drinking or drug use. >> hi, daddy! >> hi, peanut. >>y? my math quiz that i have. and i got 100%.

>> w! proud of you. >> and picture day is tomorro. >> yeah, i know, you gonna send me some pictures when they get developed. >>ah. >> narrator: rob sullivan is undergoing a month-long program at this treatment facility. for many parolees, connecticut requires intensive drug and alcohol treatment as a condition of their release. >> daddy's discharge date moved to may 7 now. daddy won't be in the halfway house. he'll be home, home. >> well, i'll call you at 8:00, and say gonight. >> okay, i love you. >> love you, chewey. >> bye, daddy. >> bye, baby. dy >> drew me this recently. and then, oops, he also drew me this one. >> he even put his teardro in there, which he's going to get taken off. >> but that's what makes daddy daddy.>> eah, no, daddy's daddy without the stupid teardrops on

his face. >> so it still makes daddy daddy. >> he's more handsome with the teardrops off of his face. she gets used to seeing him, talking to him, and then not... it's just, it's been, unfortunately it's been such a part of her life for her ten s years th's been here, that it's routine for her. but yet he sees how old she's getting and he's tired of not being there and breaking her heart. so it'll be li may 6 when he'll be home.me >> is daddy's going to be home sooner than we expected. >> and for what? >> for my birthday. >> what a birthday present that's gonna be, huh? >> he wasn't there for my tenth, but my 11th is still iortant, so all my birthdays are important, so he'll actually b and that's special to

>> it's hard, especiallyn a young kid, young girl that, you know, is going into herte age life. you know, a lot of children want both parents, you know? right now i'm trying to make it up to her, and that's by. chal l this is stuff that i brang from jail. my criminal record.it a mess. i went in in '92. i didn't come back in untilan 1998then i didn't get out till 2001. i came back in in 2002, got out the list goes on and on and on of how many times i've been in and out of jail. with all these convictions and chitges, it's going to make almost impossible for me to find a job, you know? and pay child support, which i haven't done in years. i know i'm a scumbag in that aspect. $53,277. $26,156 and $25,935 for a total

of over $100,000. a where the hellm i supposed to get $100,000? win the lotto? i have a real bad drug and alcohol problem, but it's cheaper for me to buy a beer some nights for two bucks and get drunk and forget about all my problems, and that's when i end up committing another crime. sometimes i do it just to go back to jail, because it's easier to live. >> i'm 25. and the first time i was arrested, i wanna say 16. first time i ever been to prison though, went the full extent, was 18. i grew up seeing people getting robbed, stealing, selling drugs, shootings, stabbings, fights. when you grow up a certain type of way, it's a way of life. >> narrator: vaughn gresham is doing seven years on parole--se

part of hience for an armed robbery. doing the robbery.first time-- it was quick, fast and easy. nobody ever really got hurt. but if it got a little rough, we had bats, you know? yeah, we had bats. >> narrator: he's being released to a halfway house, where he must complete a 90-day program. the rules are strict and the residents are closely supervised. >> halfway house's purpose isnd for guys to employment, save money, and then returback to society-- hopefully in a successful manner. some make it and some t, but the reality of the situation is, if it's not what they reallydo want tthey're just not gonna succeed and they're gonna go back through the cycle. o narrator: since being p parole a year ago, he's been sent back to prison three time this is his fourth halfway house. >> you know, i don't want to go back. it sucks, it's boring, i'm fed up with it. and my best chances of getting

past this stage is keeping on the right path. >> so you got seven years parole, huh? >> narrator: connecticut is now trying to ve parolees like vaughn more chances after onrelatively minor violati >> before, if you were a parole violator and got returned to prison, typically once you got back to prison you'd be serving sort of an arbitrary time sentence, like a year. now the amount of time you're sent back to prison for is aio relatively short pof time while we sort of reboot them and get them back out the door again. >> the default mode in the criminal justice system, at least in the united states, is one of control and punishment. the big change in coecticut is that the leadership is trying to make parole more about reintegration and less about punishment.ra >> nr: fiona doherty runs a criminal justice clinic at yale law school and has recommended additional changes to the way parole works in connecticut. >> the conditions that are put on people o are coming out of prison to avoid going back to

prison are very broad. if we could all be sent to l prison for beie, or occasionally having a glass of wine, or the other pectations and standards that are laid on parolees, we would all violate the conditions of parole. >> narrator: for vaughn, those conditions will be enforced by his parole officer, lisa brayfield. she's be on the job for a year, and her first assignment is supervising over a hundred men at two halfway houses in hartford.m? >> all right, gres of most of the fenders say, "i don't want to be here, i don't know why i'm here, this isn't right for me, i can't be here." t maybe they s structure and all the rules, and it may not be what they thought it was. the main priority is going to be getting a job, because you won't be ablto complete the program unless you're working. the rules and regulations that are given to parolees are stlightforward and they're spelled out even before an offender is released from prison. maybe it's challenging for

different people.n' but i think it's hard. if they want to make it work, they can. >> you have any questions, concerns, issues? comments? >> no, no,o. >> nice meeting you. >> all right, have a good one. >> and no drug use. >> all right. >> the key to reforming the parole system in connecticut is changing the dynamics of the invisible meetings that happen parolees and their parolen officers. if the atmosphere in those roo is reflective of the reform vision at the top, then chge in connecticut will happen. and if it's not, it will be very hard to make change stick. >> narrator: today, erroll has been called in to an unscheduled limeeting with officer paw. >> this is my parole office-- 300 sheldon st. i always get nervous every time i go through this door, man. why are we seeing eachtley.

today? >> i'm not sure. >> yeah, you are. i hold in my hand a lareport with your name on it. is that starting to drag you into remembrance? >> no, it's... yeah, absolutely. >> okay, so why didn't you jus tell us, say that off the rip, then? how much did you use? >> um... three bags. >> just one time? >> yeah. >> so you're going to piss clean today? >> no, i'm not., noi did it on friday. >> okay, then let's slow down here because the 14th, which was a week ago, you were dirty for opiates. so you've been using consistently again? >> no, i haven't. no, not yet.'v >> so, but ye used more than five total bags, though, in the eight days, correct? >> s bags, yeah, yeah. but not more than, not a bundle. >> it's hard, it's a har balance. i mean, you know, a lot goes into determining the levels of pervision. you know, years ago, my god, if you had a dirty urine you'd go back to jail. guys are not going back to jail even for a dirty heroin rightot now, i mean, they'reoing back the first time. it's treatment, treatment, treatment. if you don't let me know ing to be chasing our taile st again.

>> narrator: though he could send erroll to jail, he decides instead to enroll him in a drug counseling program. >> so reincarcerate instead of treatment on a rty urine, it's not gonna help thatrw person move fod. and with brantley, he's probably been through reb, you know, i don't know how many times. st keep trying until one ofs you them works. >> okay, so, iop is intensive outpient treatment. three days a week. >> all right, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> appreciate it. i do need more structure. you know? it's just... and i need the help. i need... and they're willing to offer it to me, which is amazing. to have somebody on your side, it went better than i planned. >> narrator: but erroll doesn't end up going to the outpatnt treatment. he continues to use heroin and eventually checks himself to a detox center. >> so here i am, i'm at adrc, i'm waiting to get into the 30-day program. i sh i could have been the success story.

i wish i could have shown h you gu amazing my life is, but it's going to take a little while longer. >> narrator: he doesn't tell officer pawlich, and misses his next appointment, another violation of parole. >> all right, so here's our date on mr. brantley. >> narrator: it takes pawlich almost a week to figure out where erroll is. >> on the 31st he was due ine to report to me, anddn't show up. unbeknownst to us, the day he came in here he had rendered a urine dirty for cocaine and opiates, so, he left part of the story out. phone's going straight toic ail. he's using. he checked himself into a detox program. i give the guy credit for going to detox and going into a program, but the way he handled it was completely wrong. so basically his violations arei thy urines, not reporting to me that he's no longer living at his residence. he's really hanging by a thread right now. >> when we thi about what we ask parole officers to do,

we ask them to be social workers who help reintegrate people into society. they're also supposed to be the police officers, they're supposed to be the people who catch parolees in any rulen violatd then reporting it out. the question is, should the person who's the parole officer be focused on helping somebody or should they be focused on catching them for any rule violation? >> gresham! staff office. >> narrator: vaughn has been at the halfway house for ten weeks now. he's going to a meeting with his parole officer with the hope o moving into an apartment. >> they informed me, like, "hey all you need apartment and a job." i got a job as soon as they told me that. and the apartment was already ready. she was just waiting on me to get out. >> narrator: officer brayfield has to approve his request. >> we submitted his addrs, right? >> yeah, i mean, that's not going to go through. >> i have another address. >> i sorry? >> i have another address. >> okay, well, we're not going

to submit it yet. >> no? >> why? >> 'cause i just wrote you a misconduct-- you're not in compliance with the program. u need to be in complian with the program and working in order to be eligible to leave. >> and how long's that going to take? >> i don't give a time frame.r: >> narratoays earlier, vaughn was late coming back from a job training program.>> o what did you do when you left school?en >> i wt to the house. my house.use? >> okay, and were you authorized to do that? >> no. >> so public safety is our number-one priority. because if they're... have a history of using drugs and goin d burglarizing people or being violent, we need to make sure that we don't allow that to happen again. so i have a misconduct for you. you are going to have limited community access for two weeks and you'll have to complete ten hours of extra duty in the house. you seem really irritated right now. >> i am. >> all right, so you're still working, right? >> mm-hmm. >> any drug or alcohol use? >> no. >> all right, so any other

issues, questions, concerns? >> lot of issues, no questions, a lot of concerns. >> okay, do you want to elaborate? >> no. >> okay, so two weeks starting today. i'm all set if you are. >> swear to (bleep) god, yo. (bleep) this (bleep) look like, man? the (bleep) what?to man, i got a life mother-(bleep) live too, i'm not about to stay ins mother-(bleep) every (bleep) all day, what? go back to work, come back here. man, what the (bleep) is that? that's not even real life. (bleep) is going on, man? >> he was disrespectful. it seemed like he had a littlege bit of an problem when i was meeting with him. all right, let me see your phone. ...which is initially the

reason really why i took the phone. >> is there anything in here? >> not really. >> what do you mean, not really? >> just texting. >> texting? >> yeah. >> okay, i going to look through this, i'll give it to you in a little while. >> hmm? >> il give it to you in a little while-- do you have any other passwords on here? >> yeah. >> i can't see what you're doing here. >> taking it off right now. >> all right, i'll see you in a minute phones are a big tool for . it's actually pretty common thal the offenders ike to show off their drinking or their drug use. and they post these things to social media.

>> so once i took the phone, it was kind othe final straw where i saw pictures of himn drinkingthe house. that's an automac remand because they're creating a scene in the house, they're making it a lot harder for the other ofnders. all right. why are you so upset right now? >> i was told i was gonna leave after i got job. i got a job. >> yup, if you were compliant with the program. >> yash, i didn't think that w going to be a problem. >> you know, there are so many different ways one can violate parole conditi someone's just looking hard enough, they're going to find somethingn >> wour stance. widen your stance!re >> we kndictably from the evidence that the closer the overght, the more violations you're going to find. >> it can get a lot worse. >> get in the car. >> there's going to be failures, there's people are going to makn mistakes, for some people it's going to be impossible, right? no matter what you say or do, they're not going to get their act together and they're nota

goop committing crimes. our number one goal is to reduce crime, not just to hold people accountable but to... you know, to do something to prevent crime. after all, younow, they call it the department of correctiono r a reason, right? >> narrator: >> narrator: rob has now finished his treatment program. he's living in a halfway housen and gotten a job ahour's walk away.be but he's frustratecause the money he earns is controlled by the halfway house. >> if i work 40 hours i'mav allowed e $40. you get a dollar per hour of what you work to hold on you.ac i've got to go band fill out a budget sheet and show them my check, they copy it. inu know, most of it goes to savings. but i can't touch none of it. mosometimes i feel it's alst not worth it to work. like, my daughter sent me a picture. she wants a pair of sneakers for basketball. and i can't buy them.uy i told her i can't bhem, i'm

not allowed to touch my money. ha whenever raeann needed something, if i had the money, she always got it, no matterou what it was,now? and it made me feel good. at that point in time being on parole they were dictating to m what i could dth my money that i earned.al it was tly embarrassing. >> narrator: rob also needs appral from the halfway hous to go anywhere other than his job. >> like right now, even going iu this store i c end up back to jail, just for going into a store to get something. and i'm only getting a coffee. you can't do anything without permission. i wod have to fill out a pass. if i got caught in the building that's a stipulation, it's a violation of parole. i could have went back to jail for that. you know, last week i got to the point where i told the director, "you know what? i'm better off sometimes in jail. i don't tta deal with all this bull(bleep)." you know, when i was at the halfway house i couldn't see raeann, at all, you know,r, my daughnd it hurt, you

know, it was hard. i went to work and kellytu ly brang her to my job to see me, you know, for my birthday and to surprise me. >> hi, baby. >> don't cry. >> it's like you have to beet see, you have to be sneaky. you know, even though you don't want to be, it's likyou have to be. i love you. all right, let's drive down the strt, okay? >> narrator: as the weeks go by, rob is increasingly angry. >> you guys wanna know how i feel sometes? well, right now i'm pissed the (bleep) off. i gotta please the halfwayouse so i can (bleep) go home. i had to go to 7/11 and get me a coffee. even though i'm not supposed to. 'cause i really don't give a (bleep) right now. narrator: after two months noon parole, rob has had eh.

he flees his halfway house andd is declarefugitive.y, >> frin the halfway house,i went to work, they told me they didn't need me anymore. i got kind of fed up, and i wasn't gonna give them my st check and not be able to buy her christmas gifts or nothing so i said, "(bleep) it," d i ran. so tonight, decided to come get her some sneakers and take her out to dinner. p because thursday in on turning myself in. and i told her, "daddy messed up." you know, when you do wrong you've got to pay up, right? right?>> eah. >> you know it doesn't mean i don't love you! i now. >> come on, baby. all right, ready? >> yeah. a >> ...and i won't beund for christmas again. all right, let's find them.

>> i want the silver ones. >> do you have 'em? >> we got 'em. rules and having freedangledhe in front of mend then being told what i can do and what i can't do. uple bundles of dope, thinkingdi i'd... thinking i' but it didn't happen. i love you. >> i love you, too. >> don't cry! come here. why are you crying? you know you can tell me anything, right? hey. you can always tell me anything. >> i know. il >> isee you soon. >> i know.

>> no matter where i go. >> i know. >> you can come see me. >> i know. >> i love you. >> i love you too. >> narrator: a week later, rob turned himself in. his parole was revoked. >> the business of living is very hard, and so when treatnt ends and then it's time for them to start to try to get a job and do what they need to do, wes often see sometiey get in trouble then because they just... they don't know anything [bleep] christ, what's in here? >> all the books for school. >> narrator: jessica has been taking classes to become a nursing assistant and working on her relationship with her son. but she's just tested positive for marijuana, and officer montoya could send her to ja. >> so you understand what

you've done?'m seriously, like,ere trying to save your ass. but i don't know if you understand what you've done.st >> no, i do, i undd right after the situation happened. i don't know, i think i was just stressed out and going through it. >> this could be a sma (bleep) up or it could be your descent into madness, and i need tous understand if you'regonna give this chance a try or you're justoing to, like, keep (bleep) up? >> no, i'm not going to keep (bleep) up. >> oy. i don't want you to quit school, but if you find the school to be ed to take a break from school to kind of regroup, do that. i am the one that holds the power to send her back. and i have to believe in her. i have to believe that she is going to do good, because i make a living on second chances. that's what parole is. they have to start oveagain. it's hard for them. if i was to lock up everyone that's run into jessica's situation, i wouldn't have a caseload. >> i'm going through the same thing with my son.h >> okay, wur son. it's a whole different animal. >> my whole incarceration,nd

he's been a seonors student. and now he's messing up. >> you have to understand, okay, you are the mother, but for the past ten years, you have not been his mother. so for you to come into the ecture and start calling shots might be hard. >> i know. >> sorry, jessica. concentrate on the now, concentrate on the future. what is happening with her isty prommon of women that come out. they really put a lot of pressure on themselves. there's always this, like, pressure to try to make up for lost time. she'll do good. i'm thinking she's gonna do good. fi >> on one for the t down. >> six to 18, jesus. me, i was excited, i wasson's emotional. i was there for the first time

and i should have been there his whole life. so that was what was bothering me. >> number 24, i can't believe how big he is. oh, come on, what is y'all doing? >> i think that's the driving force in jessica. she really wantso be a good mother. >> don, donte, donte, you good? >> s wants to fix the mistak of the past.d feel bad because she went in so young. and she was denied the opportunity to raise her son. >> i love you. call me later, okay? he is not happy. he's not happy about this game. i'll jt give him his space because he's just like me, so,u yoknow...

when we angry we don't like to, talk don't like to be bothered, we just need to be left alone for a little while. j narrator: katherine hasust picked up erroll from the drug treatment center he'd checked himself into, and they're heading tohe parole office for the first time in over a month >> want me to come in with you? >> yeah, i don't know if you cao in but we'll try. come on. >> we didn't know what was going to happen because he just got out of a detox that was not sanctioned by his parole officer. and i'm there for support. >> eaton? >> yes. >> tha you. >> brantley, so i'm clear, is that the person you're trying to get your residence with?

>> yes. >> okay, understand that contact with previous.... . i have to take this apa >> don't start this (bleep) again with me. >> i have to take this off. >> i don't care about that thinh now, when i'm telling you something and you... you know what, go have a seat. >> no, i'm rea man. i'm sorry. >> no, you're not ady now! don't friggin' tell me when you're ready. he's given me every reason to lock him up and i'm still working with him.g he's not taky of his supervision seriously. he thinks it's all like a joke nipulate what he does and how he does it, and so, he's going to get a rude awakening in about five minutes. what happened out in thera lobby ises my level of concern.di >> what d i do? >> no contact with previouse crctims. everybody from your first crime to your current crime is a previous crime victim. you can't see, stay, email. >> the state... the state has broken us up. she's my support network, officepawlich. >> i got guys that can't see their kids because the kids live with their crime victims.as they surell have never walked them up in my lobby.

so today you're going to a halfway hoe. you're due back in the house at a certain time every single night. >> i jusdon't understand that it doesn't bother you that i don't have people in my life that i love. >> i'm going to wa you one more time-- don't tell me how i think or how i feel. understood? it's got nothing to do with this.ig what i'm doing now is managing somebody with about four or five misconducts right now that would land them in jail, d then to put the icing on the cake, walk their victim into my office lobby. all right? and put it right out there in front of everybody like, "i get to get supervised fferently." well, you don't get to get supervised differently. >> i really didn't know it was that serious. >> it's extremely serious. nothing you've done so far, you've taken seriously. you're also going on gps today. if you charge it every day like i instructed you to for two hours, you'll be fine. so you're going to walk upd anwn the street, so we're o trying to get a readn the gps unit. >> he put me on the bracelet and he's putting me in a halfway house. and i can't see you because

you're a victim. i'm sorry. this is not our fault. >> i got, you know, 65 cases and it's just aggravating.). she's a crime victim. there is no contact with some guys go straight to jail for that, right off the rip. never mind all the other nonsense that he's had. >> why would you do this to somebody? i got onthing left in the (bleep) world that i'm close toe and the dude (bl won't let me be there because he (bleep) he's got something to prove. i seriously, i wish he would m just violate i just wanted to keep talking and go bacto jail. so my life is pretty much ruined for the next (eep) three years. >> in the past, parole officers felt that their mainsi rebility was to keep on top of the offender and if and when they violate the rules of parole or commit new crimes return them to prison, and that is changing. the goal is to figure out what

we need to do to ensure that this person begins moving in the right direction. >> this is my new room. it's very small. home sweet home. the cheyney house was my first time in a halfway house ever. i was crestfallen, needless to say. i was very, very hurt when i saw the neighborhood that the halfway house was in. because it was the neighborhood that i bought heroin in. so this is the neighborhood they put a recovering heroin addict i here are some heroin baggies that litter the streets here. this is one of manheroin locations in this end of tow and it's not that i'mut tempted, it would make it a lot easier for me to violate my parole and get this wholthing over with.

because right now, going bk to jail and finishing my time seemt a lot easihan the o prosf jumping through hoops for peoplehat don't want me to be happy. >> putting him in the halfway g house, he oing to always see as punitive. not, or thought it wasiveppy or or not. it's an opportunity. structure, supervision, money management, assistance for whatever,ow you they need is kind of all right there. having that structure andrv suion right in his... kind of in his face every day.on so... some guys reto it. they're never gonna admit it but some respond to it, so at least it's not jail.ee >> narrator: seven into his stay, another parolee overdoses on heroin inside the halfway house. >> i just got home from work, and parole is here, and this ish at i come home to.ve

because of therdose and the deh here today, parole cam here and trashed my stuff. >> narrator: the day after vaughn was sent back to jail, officer brayfield arrives to serve him his papers. >> so i have your notice of parole violation, so we'll go over it together? first part is going to be the charges that we have against you, so the condition that you violated is your relse direction. on 9-7-16 your phone was searched, which produced a number of pictures of you consuming alcohol in the watkinson house program.on based on your actiyou were in violation of your parolean conditioyour continued supervision in the community is no longer compatible with welfare of society, okay? unfortunately, vaughn is not a unique case to me, supervisinw offenders in hal houses. you know, remaing him, he comes back out to a halfway

house, remand again, he comes at's common.a halfway house. >> i love the way you're so nonchalant about it. >> like i said... >> i love it. >> like said, if you did what you were supposed... it's... this has nothing to do with me whatsoever.us >> no,your attitude. >> absolutely. my hands are tied.st >> it's ike it's nothing for you to send people to jail or anything like, (bleep) 'em, you know?he >> well,guys are drinking in the house, right. >> people drink on the street. >> i don't... >> people smoke on the street. >> okay, let me say is. i don't care what other people are doing on the street. >> so you have family members that don't smoke on the street? >> i only care. it doesn't matter. >> it don't matter about your family members? >> i only care about you.>> ou don't care about me. >> i'm in charge of your supervision. u care about me., don't sathat >> okay, so i'm only concerned about what you're doing in a halfway house.y. >> o >> so when i see pictures of you drinking with other offenders in a halfway house, it's blatantly clear that you're drinking, i need to do something about it. >> okay, any other quens? concerns? comments?

>> no concerns.no omments. >> okay, this is your copy. >> so after this, i ever gotta deal with you again? >> i don't know, it's not up to me. you may be released to another halfway house. i'm not sure. okay? >> you know, i'm fairly easygoing. i do what's ked of me. and one little... you know, i drink. that doesn't even cause y harm to anybody. but basically brings hell upon me. like, what... i don't understand that. i don't understand that. >> narrator: after six months on parole, jessica is close to finishing her nursing assistant program. >> i wanted to go to school because i knew that if i came home, i didn't have no job history. when i was younger i wanted to be a doctor, sthe best thing

for me to do right now is to do cna. i came home with a plan and i actually stuck to it. i didn't let little minor setbacks throw me all the way off. they docked me o a little bit and i got right back up and kept moving. >> jessica walked to school or took the bus almost every day. it's not like she had people giving her rides or, you know, backing for everything. jessica did everything on her own. >> okay, guys, it's the last night. i'm going to sit wh you one at a time. i'm going to give you your grades and your packet that has caur résumé and your physils and all that information. jess, i'll take you. okay. here we go. these are your test grades. your test average was an 88%. >> wow. >> that is b+. very nice. that's your grade before clinical. >> 94. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> that's a super job. your résumé copies on résumé

paper. >> thank you. >> all about being a nursing assistant. and your physicals. r so you ady to go get a job. okay? ?o you have any questions for >> you are good. (classmates laugh) that's a good grade. okay? >> the whole point is fothe offender to learn to do the right thing on their own. when they first come out, you're like this. you have them. and as the offender starts doing good, and then you just let go. it's hard work, but i think it can be accomplished. (unamplified electric bass being slapped) >> narrator: erroll spent three months at the halfway house. >> i love this bass, dude. >> narrator: he stayed sober, found a new job, and got an apartment of his own. >> this became my place from my friend tammy. and she said she had a basement for rent. she only wanted 100 bucks a week, she would do me a favor.re she sponsome and helped me to get out of cheyney house.

but it's got plenty of space, you kn? like i said, i have the biggeste room in the entiouse, which is nice. and it's private. you know, i can come and go as i wanthrough the back door. i am headed to my first day of work at ruby tuesdays as a manager/kitchen... i'm not even sure. they wt me to become a manager. >> he's got a skill set. he's a smart guy.he so's hope. you just could never say, "whoa, look at this case, this guy'sin got no hope-- put hi your no-hope pile." it would be very hard to do this job 40 hou week, you know, month to month, year to year, decade to decade, you just really had, like, a no-hope pile. don't have a no-hope pil >> narrator: because of his turnaround, erro was

finally given permission to have contact with katherine, though they were still not allowed to live together.s >> that r first summer together. we decided we were definitely. going to get marri just more recently we decided so it's all i look foro. family. (crowd cheering) >> narrator: after nearly a year on parole, jessica proctor is graduating and speing more time with her son. >> jessica proctor.ki >> som, they'll never get to see their mom come out and do so well, finish school, and walk ross the stage to get their diploma. i pretty much love her, i love her to death. i'll do anything for her. >> he was proud to see me come home and not go back. that i was actually making a difference in my life and going somewhere. so that meant a lot me. >> narrator: rob sullivan finished his prison sentence. >> today i'mree.

i didn't have parole to look after me anymore. only i look after myself. it's like a sense of relief. here she comes. yeah, i love you, i missed y. >> i love you too and i missed you too. >> narrator: he's coming homeor just in time fis daughter's 11th birthday. >> high.o >> i don't want tothat high.gr >> narrator: vaughn ham is being released to s fifth halfway house, after seven months in jail. >> parole is a noose that you tighten yourself. you want to play? that noose is always gonna be there. but as you go farther ay fromthe path, it's going to tighten up. >> we ve your conditions, which you've signed a few times already. >> you stick to the path and yoa doyou gotta do, you will be able to breathe. you're not going to kill yourself. >> and these ones also? >> yep. >> narrator: hhas a new parole officer. >> c'mon, gresham, you should know this. >> narrator: and five years of parole still ahead of him.

a little over a year after erroll and katherine were given permission together, erroll started using heroin again. they got into a fight about going to rehab. and she called the police. >> i feel ashamed for you to have to come and see me here cause, you know, i was doing so well. and it's just... it's an r absolute and totression. i don't know if it's apropos, if it's bittersweet, if it's goin to help to tell the story, you know, i don't know. (sniffling) >> narrator: he's been charged with violating thes conditions of lease. and now connecticut must deci whether to keep erroll behind bars... hi

or givanother chance at life on parole. >> it was the hostile takeover of the republican party. >> narrator: the fight between the president and his own partyl >> in one fewoop the a republicans sent message you're not a king, you are a president. >> trump's response iclassic trump. who am i going to blame? >> don't mess with donald trump. donald trump doesn't forget. >> somebody needs to stand up and say "this is not our party, this is not normal." >> go to pbs.org/frontline for anpdate on the characters the film. >> he was proud to see me come home and not go back.re >> see additionarting from our partners at tnew york read an interview with connecticut governor, dannel malloy, about the push to reform parole

>> the reality is, you give somebody a chance that's been incarcerated, they reallyte apprect. >> explore frontline's reporting on criminal justice in america.e then con to the frontline community on facebook, twitter and pbs.org/frontline. " >>frontline" is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur undation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional support is provided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism. the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the john and helen glessner family trust, supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and inspires. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support fro jon and jo ann hagler. additional support for "life on

parole" was provided by the w.k. kenogg foundation and the j d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.or >> for more on this and other frontline programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline. ♪ "frontline's" "life on parole"le is availn dvd. to order, visit shop.pbs.org or call 1-800-play-pbs. "frontline" is also available for download on itunes. ♪ vo: ancient civilizations

from north to south america. man 1: these buildings are all celestially aligned. vo: with unique systems of science, art,nd writing. man 2: this knowledge has been accumulated over thousands of years vo: connected by shared knowledge and beliefs. man 3: the past is also partf the present. vo: discover a remarkable new view man 3: the past is also partf of native america. this fall. only on pbs. ♪ re watching pbs.

just 20 days ago, we were looking at huge skyscrapers >>yeah >>totally different enviornment not only getting to go accrous the country, i'm getting the chance to like find my self in the process >>talking to the people who have gone through hardships and obsticales >>the advice that i've gotten, the ories that i've heard are with me forever now, and i'm prepared for whatever obsticales may come roadtrip nation: beating the odds is m e possible by the act's nter fog at act we have a simple mission: helping people achieve education and workplace success. e work to close gaps an equity, opportunit achievement. we believe everyone, regardless of their circumstances, deserves a fair chance to learn and grow for more information, visit equityinlearning.act.org.