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By Naomi Friedland Joseph Bristol is proud to graduate from CAP, the Conviction Alternatives Program, on April 2, following a successful year in the program. After four years struggling with addiction and homelessness, Joseph received support from a residential rehab, which led him to A Curiae. Joseph was a functional addict for most of his addiction and was able to keep a steady job in hotel maintenance. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and his mother’s passing triggered Josep

By Naomi Friedland After a criminal charge motivated Becky Davis to recover from addiction, she has since given back to the communities that supported her, helping others through reentry and recovery. “It was not hard, but it wasn’t easy,” Davis said. “All of it is so worth it because the alternative is 10 years in prison.” She said through CAP she learned how to live life sober. Therapy and rehab helped her deal with the trauma, heartache and grief that kept her in addiction

By Naomi Friedland Jason Baum, 49, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, mainly in San Mateo. He said that despite being college-educated and coming from a good family, he still found a path toward incarceration. When Baum was arrested in 2013, he was working as a recruiter in the tech space, an industry he had been in since 1999. Baum utilized his time in prison to reflect and better himself. “I used this time as if I were in school,” he said. Baum said his mother would t

By: Naomi Friedland After spending his teen and early adult years involved with the criminal justice system, Jesse Agles has dedicated his career to helping youth going through similar struggles. Agles, 28, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and was involved with the criminal justice system since he was 12 years old. He was arrested every year from then until the age of 21 and served his first term at age 19. He got involved with A Curiae seven years ago while he was fig

By Athena Talmadge and Stephen Burns Below is a post co-written by a graduate, Stephen Burns, and his partner Athena. The words below do not capture the beautiful energy displayed at his graduation in the Fall of 2023. It is an incredible story of how collaborative court programs impact the individual and their family. Athena: The following words I spoke to a courtroom full of people on the day Stephen graduated the CAP (Conviction Alternatives Program) program. My gratit

by Anthony Arasa Today, I stand as a proud and present dad, with a heart full of gratitude for the second chance that was given to me by the federal court system. The emotional connection I now share with my kids and grandkids is unlike anything I could have imagined. Witnessing their growth and being an active part of their life is a privilege I cherish daily. It's in the simple moments, like going on walks and riding bikes, watching movies or a TV series, and helping them d

By Tram Nguyen. Tram is one of our most experienced mentors who shows great compassion, connection, and energy to work with clients in our Professional Mentorship Initiative. Tram has worked with clients around the country and George Floyd inspired me to get involved with mentorship not because I want to be a mentor but because I want to get to know people who have experienced the world from a completely different lens than mine. I approach this program viewing our partnershi

By Sachin Sharma Muhammed Ali once said, "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." It’s one of my favorite quotes and encourages me to volunteer in my community. When you think about ways to volunteer in your community, what comes to mind? Perhaps it's serving food to those in need, volunteering at your local hospital, or cleaning up a public space. All these options came up during my search for remote volunteering in mid-2020, but one that I wasn’