By Matthew Estes, Communications Director
Bay Minette, Ala. — Jennifer Mitchell, now 41, has been in and out of prison on drug charges since she was 18. “You can watch me grow up on the jail view, and that’s sad,” said Mitchell. For her, the cycle ended two years ago, today, and every day she makes a choice to do better. She has indeed done better by being resolute in her willingness to change.
“It’s kind of like having a job – this program is my job first.” While initially she was apprehensive about the workload involved in the Baldwin Day Reporting Center Lite Program in Bay Minette, Alabama, it quickly became an integral part of her life. She actively participated in each program required as a condition of parole.
After being released from prison the second time, Jennifer was determined to build a better life and never go back. An important ingredient to her success is her job at Waffle House, which worked with her to keep her position serving customers open upon release from prison. Through her interactions, she was able to build a loyal group of regular customers and was able to make enough money to purchase a car and sustain a living. Her key to success: “It’s not hard to be kind to people. Kindness doesn’t cost a thing.”
She shared an important moment of kindness she experienced from a dining couple. Jennifer had a broken front tooth due to a previous abusive relationship and made it a goal to have it repaired. While serving tables, a couple she had never met discretely wrote on a napkin she should go to the dentist. Initially, she was taken aback, but the couple wanted her to get in contact once making the consultation. She did and found out the couple had arranged to pay for her dental repairs.
After asking the dentist office why the couple wanted to pay, they gave the explanation it was simply because she was so kind. “Had I not been sober, doing the right thing and having a job, I wouldn’t have received that blessing.”
Jennifer has a lot to live for outside of the walls of prison: a family, a job, hobbies and a life. “I don’t ever want to go back. I’m too old.”
Jennifer Mitchell’s story is an ideal example of the Day Reporting Center program serving its intended purpose. She mentioned multiple times how supportive employees at the program have been to her, telling Jennifer they’re proud of her and providing the curriculum needed to continue her rehabilitation. While the success of a participant ultimately comes down to the choices of the individual, the resources for success are there.
“She was driven,” said Baldwin DRC Lite Administrator Joshua Davis. “Talk is cheap, but there was something different about her.” Davis commended her ability to keep appointments and hold herself accountable.
Don’t give up. Keep pushing. These were the words she gave future DRC participants. You must want positive change and productive habits. You can’t make excuses, and you must chase the goals set for you. Having now graduated the program, Jennifer sits in on future DRC classes and encourages participants with her advice and experiences. “I’m proud of how she helped the others be accountable,” said Baldwin DRC Lite Psychological Associate Valencia Cureton. “She called them out if they were wrong.”
“Drugs, drugs, drugs – I chose them over everything,” said Jennifer. “Not today.” By having the willingness and want to change, every day refusing to live the old way, she unlocks a new and better life.
