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STEP-UP program serves students with criminal backgrounds

Record Searchlight - 9/26/2017

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The STEP-UP program offers students with criminal records a second chance at a career path. That includes heavy equipment certification and those types of jobs are in demand across the state, according to program organizers.

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STEP-UP program student Jillian Duncan, left, listens as instructor John Livingston teaches class at Shasta College earlier in September.(Photo: Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight)Buy Photo

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Surrounded by excavators and backhoes, students wearing bright safety vests and hard hats learned how to operate heavy machinery during an outdoor class at Shasta College.

Some of the students are part of the STEP-UP program, which gives people with criminal records a chance to learn a trade to become skilled laborers.

The class is led by instructor John Livingston. His voice boomed over the loud machinery as he described hydraulic controls and other safety procedures.

Students in the STEP-UP program can earn a one-year certificate in heavy equipment and go on to fields in high demand, such as welding, construction or office administration.

Twyla Maxey, 38, goes to school two days a week and works the rest of the week as a cook at a local truck stop. With her record, which includes a felon in possession of a firearm, Maxey has encountered difficulty landing work. She says with four children and a grandson living out of a trailer in Shingletown, she felt she needed some type of protection, thus the gun.

When asked what she would do if she was unable to complete the one-year program, she said, "I have to think positive."

"I had to be honest with my last boss about my record, but she gave me a chance. I'm going to make this work," she said, pointing to the rest of the outdoor class.

The program has grown since it began in 2013 with 20 students to about 100 in 2017.

STEP-UP program students Joshua Taylor, left, and SidneyBuy Photo

STEP-UP program students Joshua Taylor, left, and Sidney Workman work together during class Sept. 6 at Shasta College. (Photo: Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight)

STEP-UP program director Robert Bowman said going to school and learning a trade makes all the difference for people with felonies on their record. The program is managed at the college, but students are referred to STEP-UP by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office and the Probation Department.

Students check in weekly with Bowman. They stop by his office to briefly update him on their classes, work and health.

Students and program coordinators meet monthly to discuss any difficulties students might have, review new services they can take advantage of and events at the college.

The program wants them to succeed, but they have to be willing.

"Accountability is a key word for the program," said Bowman. "They have to show the effort."

Earlier this year, the Community Corrections Partnership, made up of local law enforcement agency representatives, agreed the STEP-UP program showed positive results in the community.

Jillian Duncan, 19, thought her life was over before she joined the STEP-UP program. She gets a career path and a chance to distance herself from time she spent in Shasta County jail on burglary charges. STEP-UP represents a pivot point in her life.

"The whole thing is a lifestyle change," she said. "It's just about the best thing that's happened to me. They've been awesome with what they can give us."

Other possible career paths besides heavy equipment operations include office administration, automotive technology, wildland firefighting, welding and business.

Livingston said he fields requests from industry recruiters looking for skilled employees to operate machinery, as they are in high demand.

"The employers usually do not have an issue when hiring someone who has a felony on their record. But it's a different story when they have a violent history," Livingston said.

Bowman added the majority of students in the program do not have violent crime convictions. Some are recovering drug addicts or people breaking away from a pattern of criminal behavior. Students who violate probation while in the program are kicked out. Bowman said about half a dozen students have been removed since the program started. Also, those with convictions for domestic violence, battery or registered sex offenders are not permitted in the program.

For nearly four years Shasta College has worked with local law enforcement agencies to facilitate the program. Other partners in the program include the Sheriff's Office, the California Heritage Youthbuild Academy and the Good News Rescue Mission.

STEP-UP program student Abraham Womack, center, listensBuy Photo

STEP-UP program student Abraham Womack, center, listens as her instructor John Livingston teaches class Sept. 6 at Shasta College. (Photo: Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight)

Samantha Klein, STEP-UP case manager with the Probation Department which helps vet candidates, said sometimes people in probation approach her, looking to join the program without a formal referral. She tells them to ask their probation officer if they're ready. Student need a GED or high school diploma before they can start in the STEP-UP program.

A handful of students in the STEP-UP program say it's their last chance at a different kind of life. They never thought they would go to college. It's easy for them to imagine they would be homeless, still committing crimes or going back to the people who would be a bad influence on them.

Sheriff Tom Bosenko and Eva Jimenez, associate vice president of the Economic Workforce Development Department at Shasta College, laid out the foundation for the program. Jimenez applied for a grant offered by the Berkeley-based Opportunity Institute. The "Renewing Communities" grant and local investments from the school and a patchwork of funding sources from local agencies allows the program to host the 100 students it has today.

The program's success comes from those who complete the program as well as those who find jobs, said Bosenko. "Are they committing crimes? Are they not recidivating? There are a number of different aspects to its success."

Duncan said she did not consider a career in construction, but now it's something she could see herself doing.

"They explain we have to do it ourselves," she said. "The instructors help with so much. The program shows that the county does not want to keep putting people in jail. They're showing that something different can be done."

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