She had never felt lower. Today, just one year later, Kathryn is building a brand-new life. Back home again, she is helping women in prison who may have had rock-bottom experiences like hers. Twenty percent of the Tuolumne County Jail population are women. Many have been jailed for substance abuse or related crimes.
Drug use pulls people down.
I look into friends' eyes and there's nobody there. It's a very dark life. Passing through jail's revolving door, they lose their apartments, their jobs, their belongings and often their children. Kathryn has been luckier. The Even Start program, also sponsored by A-TCAA, helped Kathryn turn the corner with its offerings in basic skills education and family literacy.