transcript

transcript  Behavioral Health Justice Involved Individuals (BH-JI) program member testimonial - Hank


[Music]

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the BHJI they assist returning citizens

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that are coming out of the prison system

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and uh I did 44 years in prison for a

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crime that I didn't commit was

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exonerated through DNA evidence and

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sworn

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recantations and uh through the

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recommendation of my lawyer I was

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recommended to uh the Open Sky Community

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Services and uh Ben Broulette who was

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the navigator at the time uh took my

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case having spent 44 years in prison you

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know I was a bit skeptical a little

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cautious and uh over private because you

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never know how people are going to react

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to you when you say you just spent

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prison time in prison regardless of the

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amount of time that you spend you know

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because there are always people that's

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going to

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be

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suspicious you know but uh I am

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fortunate that I have met a lot of good

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people and I've learned that if you're

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honest and open about yourself that

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people are more receptive of you and

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more accepting and uh that I appreciate

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and it allows me to feel better about

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myself and to do better for myself as

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far as my speaking engagements and uh by

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my participation with uh this group this

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program uh my navigator

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was put me at such ease

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they helped me attend all my meetings

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that I had to make all my appointments

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that I had to uh even where I live which

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is quite a ways from uh Worcester itself

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and the Open Sky Community Services

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which is out in West Brookfield they

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never hesitated a second to help me uh

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with my appointments ben also helped me

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a great deal in getting my getting my

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driver's license back and uh the

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technology out here today is uh you know

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so new that you know it's like a baby

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needing to grow again you know for

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somebody that spent time in prison like

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that and they're there to help if you

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had told me 44 years ago that there was

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be such thing as a cell phone I would

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have asked you what planet you came from

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you know but when I came home and I

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first got my cell phone uh the BHJI

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helps me a great deal uh with questions

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that I have about it because I'm still

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learning things about it even after all

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these well it's only been 3 years uh

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since I've been out but I'm still

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learning things about my phone and I

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know that uh when I go to the uh program

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if I have any questions they're always

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there to answer me while I was with the

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Open Sky Community Services uh they

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became the compass group at Open Sky and

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I was asked by Ben and Megan Father to

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be a facilitator for a couple of their

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programs which I did a year ago and I'm

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doing that now and because of the uh

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BHJI program I've been doing speaking

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engagements at the UMass Chan Medical

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School on a regular basis to newly

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incoming students i speak at other

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organization churches schools about drug

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and alcohol abuse crime and punishment

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and prison life and that's all through

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the

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BHJI you know without them I don't

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believe that I would be sitting here

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today you know I've had people ask me

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"If you spent 44 years in prison for a

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crime you didn't commit you must be

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pretty bitter." And I tell them "Yes I

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am bitter." I says "I am bitter toward

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those people that are directly involved

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with it not the general public or

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anybody else." I says "No." I says "I

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can't let bitterness rent space in my

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head." I says "I won't do that." And I

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go to the uh Compass group every week

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every Wednesday or other days when I

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have the opportunity and I have time cuz

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uh the BSJI there are tremendous uh help

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and I strongly recommend that to anybody

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and everybody that I speak to because uh

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they don't hesitate to help you if you

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need help you know the uh Compass Group

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at Open Sky Community Services you know

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they provide returning citizens with uh

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clothing food they help them get jobs

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they help them get housing and it's just

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a a drop in center where men and women

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can come in and have a bite to eat if

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they need it i don't think that I'd like

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to function right now without him

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because

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uh even still with what I'm doing now I

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still like to feel like I'm a part of

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the organization and they make me a part

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of the

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organization and uh having spent all

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those years in prison I'm not as

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cautious or as skeptical as I used to be

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i feel really comfortable with them you

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know and that it makes it a lot easier

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for me to uh talk to people especially

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in my g uh speaking engagements it's a

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real good thing i recommend the BHGI to

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everybody that I speak to they are there

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for you no matter who you are if you

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spent time in jail or if you spent time

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in prison don't hesitate to ask them

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don't be afraid to reach out don't be

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too proud you know because you'll be

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surprised at what you'll get in return

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for your speaking out don't be too proud

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and BHI will take you in their arms and

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they'll help you don't be afraid