Fred Santor

Yeah.

Yeah.

A living hell. I've been locked up 17 years. I've been down three different times. Every time you get out, there was nothing out there for us to go back to but our old lives. You know, doing drugs, robbing people, whatever we were doing, that's what we did. This last time I was locked up, I got a little three years old. I was 58 at that time.

A living hell. I've been locked up 17 years. I've been down three different times. Every time you get out, there was nothing out there for us to go back to but our old lives. You know, doing drugs, robbing people, whatever we were doing, that's what we did. This last time I was locked up, I got a little three years old. I was 58 at that time.

Then there were some flyers from New Freedom being passed out on the yards. And I started to ride them. I rode them for a year and a half. They put you on a mentorship program. So you get a letter, they send you a newsletter. They're feeling you out as much as you're feeling them out, okay? They accepted me. They came to the prison and picked me up. They brought me to New Freedom.

Then there were some flyers from New Freedom being passed out on the yards. And I started to ride them. I rode them for a year and a half. They put you on a mentorship program. So you get a letter, they send you a newsletter. They're feeling you out as much as you're feeling them out, okay? They accepted me. They came to the prison and picked me up. They brought me to New Freedom.

And the funny thing is, I grew up less than a quarter mile from that place. My parents still live at that house, or my brother does. I go there. The first night I'm there, it's a little overwhelming because everybody is so giving and caring. Oh, welcome home. Welcome home. Well, you know, I'm thinking to myself, this isn't my home. So I get overwhelmed. I go to my room. I go to dinner.

And the funny thing is, I grew up less than a quarter mile from that place. My parents still live at that house, or my brother does. I go there. The first night I'm there, it's a little overwhelming because everybody is so giving and caring. Oh, welcome home. Welcome home. Well, you know, I'm thinking to myself, this isn't my home. So I get overwhelmed. I go to my room. I go to dinner.

I see some of the fellows from the yard. I talk to them. They say, hey, just open your eyes a little bit and see what they got to say. I go to my first class the next morning, and the counselor's asking for anybody to give their life story. So I jump up and give my story. And from then on, it was all, uh, it was just, it's a family. They treat you like family.

I see some of the fellows from the yard. I talk to them. They say, hey, just open your eyes a little bit and see what they got to say. I go to my first class the next morning, and the counselor's asking for anybody to give their life story. So I jump up and give my story. And from then on, it was all, uh, it was just, it's a family. They treat you like family.

Uh, I went through the vocational program. The, my employer was in, was running the program. There is a PHP, John Morrison, Greg Quinlan. They came in two nights a week. They taught us how to be better people, better employees, better citizens to begin with. I was hired two weeks into it and I stayed there 90 days. And I went right to work with PHP. I've been working there for two years.

Uh, I went through the vocational program. The, my employer was in, was running the program. There is a PHP, John Morrison, Greg Quinlan. They came in two nights a week. They taught us how to be better people, better employees, better citizens to begin with. I was hired two weeks into it and I stayed there 90 days. And I went right to work with PHP. I've been working there for two years.

I believe without New Freedom, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing right now. I'd probably be back in prison.

I believe without New Freedom, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing right now. I'd probably be back in prison.

It's the stigma of being in prison. Like he said, when I got out, I went to that program. And the first people I see are people I used to do crime with. I know those guys. I know them from the streets. I know them from the prison system. You can trust them.

It's the stigma of being in prison. Like he said, when I got out, I went to that program. And the first people I see are people I used to do crime with. I know those guys. I know them from the streets. I know them from the prison system. You can trust them.

And that is a fact that we have a hard time trusting people because so many people have said shit to us to get us to do things, but they don't care about us. All they care about is what we're going to do for them. New freedom is not like that. When those guys said something from the janitor to the head guy, they care. Yeah. And it's the same with the vocational people. Excuse me.

And that is a fact that we have a hard time trusting people because so many people have said shit to us to get us to do things, but they don't care about us. All they care about is what we're going to do for them. New freedom is not like that. When those guys said something from the janitor to the head guy, they care. Yeah. And it's the same with the vocational people. Excuse me.

My boss, he cares. We have a family-run business. Six of the upper echelon people are from New Freedom. Project managers, supervisors, our head estimator, all graduated from New Freedom.

My boss, he cares. We have a family-run business. Six of the upper echelon people are from New Freedom. Project managers, supervisors, our head estimator, all graduated from New Freedom.