Over the offseason, Justin Tuck, a member of Ring of Honor, and Darnay Holmes, the current cornerback of the Giants, visited Cheshire Correctional Institution, a Level 4 high security facility located north of New Haven, Connecticut. They attended the T.R.U.E. Unit, une approche innovante qui reimagine l’incarcération pour les hommes de 18 à 25 ans, en collaboration avec le Vera Institute of Justice, le MILPA Collective et leur initiative Restoring Promise. Le nom est un acronyme pour honnêteté, respect, compréhension et elevation.
I’ve made 12 visits à la prison au cours de ma vie, and I would say that the 11 others were more filled with pain, filled with no hope, to
Tuck, qui est membre du comité des trustees de Vera, a déclaré : « J’ai effectué douze visites à la prison au cours de ma vie, et, pour être honnête, les onze autres étaient plus remplies de souffrance et de manque de perspective. Being in a typical correctional facility, it led you to feel like their lives were over, they were not even considered humans in some capacities, and it was almost like a wasteland of a place where people go to rot after making mistakes.
Let’s start there, because I don’t think anybody’s going to argue that most people behind bars have made mistakes. That was the first time I’ve been to the T.R.U.E. program in Cheshire.
Let’s begin with the fact that most persons incarcerated have made mistakes, as I doubt anyone will contest that. I had never witnessed such a helping attitude from all parties involved—almost a friendship between the correctional officers and the prisoners—until I went to the T.R.U.E. program at Cheshire. The mood was almost that of a teammate—you did something bad, but let’s work together to find a way to offer you hope until you can reintegrate into society. It was the first time I had ever visited a place where I felt that everyone I encountered had optimism for the future.”Restoring Promise’s core tenet is that transformation can only be accomplished in collaboration with those who reside and work in correctional facilities.
