PRESS RELEASE - March 30, 1999

please contact the Executive Director 503 281 2663

On the web betterpeople.org

From the Jailhouse to the Workplace:

Seven Citizens Graduate as Better People

On Tuesday, March 30, seven Portland-area residents were formally recognized as Better People, not just better workers. They graduated from the Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) program offered by Better People a privately-funded, nonprofit offender program whose mission is to dramatically reduce recidivism (individuals who have legal histories returning to crime) in Multnomah County.

Nearly a hundred people attended Better People's first-ever MRT graduation ceremony, including Oregon State Representative Jo Ann Bowman.

These seven graduates have literally gone from the jailhouse to the workplace as a result of their participation in Better People's 12-Step MRT program. Once they were individuals who have legal histories, and all of them spent time in prison. Now they are working for at least $8 per hour plus health benefits.

Here is an excerpt from a graduate's written testimonial, each of which was presented during the ceremony:

"I am a 24-year-old single mother in recovery, and it is time for me to make a better life for me and my son. There was a point where I lost control over the crime and the drugs, and they gained control over me. When I started (MRT) I was on welfare, living with others, and not happy. Now I have a good paying job, a management position, have my own car and apartment, and am truly happy."