Meet Brett
Brett is a woman who turned her life around after incarceration in the old Richmond City Jail. During her incarceration, she believed that the traumatic experience of being incarcerated could actually be utilized as a motivating factor to better herself.
After her release in 2014, Brett was accepted into Virginia Commonwealth University as an English major. She has interned with the Education program in the Richmond City Justice Center, leading GED workshops aimed at improving reading comprehension and writing. Brett is a consistent volunteer with REAL Life, offering open office hours, resume writing assistance, tutoring, FAFSA assistance, and more! She is always ready to meet the client where they are and to fill the needs they specifically need. If that doesn’t keep her busy enough, she is now enrolled in the VCU Master’s program and hopes to build a career on research psychology, focusing on behavioral skills development.
“If we can get out of the system and stay out for three years, there is a drastic increase in our chances of never returning,” says Brett. “That sounds easy, but it can be a very challenging and painful process. Break it down into pieces. On supervised probation? Work with your P.O. to get off of it as soon as possible, and comply, comply, comply. When the frustration of building a new life feels insurmountable, talk to your people. Believe me, they would rather help you through it than see you go back to jail.”
The REAL Program Staff at the RCJC congratulates Brett on her achievements since her release, and we look forward to the work that she will no doubt produce to help others who are, or have been, incarcerated to better their lives.