VIP MENTORS NEWS

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VIP MENTORS NEEDS YOUR IMMEDIATE SUPPORT DURING THE STATE BUDGET CRISIS

LETTER WRITING AND DONATIONS SOUGHT TO KEEP OUR PROGRAMS
IN PLACE AND EFFECTIVE DURING THIS TIME.

 

We need your letter of support to go to the Director of the Secretary of the California Department of Corrections And Rehabiliation.

Click here for a sample letter you can copy and use.

Please make a secure online donation RIGHT NOW to support VIP Mentors work during the the budget and funding crisis. Click on the icon below:

 

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Success/Completion Rate FY 07-08
Recedivism Rate FY 07-08

Successful Completion: A parolee who has been in a VIP match for one year or longer, and has not been returned to custody on a new charge or violation.  Or, a parolee in an active match that has dischraged parole.

Recidivism Rate: A parolee in a match, regardless of the length of time in the match, who has returned to custody on a parole violation or a new charge.

Site	Matches (#)	Successful Completion (#)	Successful Completion (%)	Returned to Custody (#)	Returned to Custody (%)
Fresno	57	27	40%	5	9%
Sacramento	52	17	19%	2	4%
Kern	12	1	8%	1	8%
Pasadena	69	29	32%	3	4%
Long Beach	43	17	28%	3	7%
Riverside	34	21	50%	0	0%
Orange	45	16	27%	2	4%
San Francisco	19	3	5%	1	5%
VIP Statewide	312	131	42%	17	5.5%

The VIP program works.

Our mentors and mentees make it work!

You can help, too.

 

 

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VIP Annual Statistics: Another Great Year!

Between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007, VIP proudly assisted a large and diverse group of parolees. Among the 231 men and 172 women with mentors, there were:

• African-Americans (26%)

• Asians (6%)

• Latinos (32%)

• Native Americans (2%)

• Caucasians (34%)

Nearly half of the participants were parents:

• 41% of the men

• 59% of the women

Commitment offenses involved:

• Violence against individuals (44%),

• Crimes against property (22%),

• Drugs (22%)

• Other (12%).
  

These mentorships represented a commitment to effective, long-term mentoring. Only 17 matches (4% of all matches during the year) were terminated because of parole violation or criminal behavior. In addition, 70% of the successful matches provided one year or more of crime-free progress on parole and promoted advancement towards educational, work and family goals.

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"There is someone I can turn to who will not judge me but will listen and offer suggestions. What has VIP done for me? It has given me hope." -- VIP Mentee

"Outside was a whole different world, different values, responsibilities. It was lonely…scary. I never felt like anyone really cared about me before." -- VIP Mentee

"Many thought my mentee was a lost cause; they weren't going to give him any more chances. All those people who didn't believe, he proved them wrong!" -- VIP Mentor

"Every lawyer gets back more than he or she gives."
-- James E. Herman, former president of the State Bar of California

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VIP Mentors Fresno thanks the Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable Foundation (Fresno, California) for its generous one-year grant (2007-2008) to VIP Mentors to fund TOPS ("Targeting Obstacles to Personal Success") Scholarships for VIP mentees, and to provide resources for social and educational group activities. We thank the Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable Foundation for supporting the VIP Mentors Fresno Program for over 10 years.

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