Collette Carroll with Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla on Assembly floor, Monday, March 14, 2016. courtesy of Susan Bonilla’s Facebook page.
Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord) recognized Collette Carroll as the 2016 Assembly District 14 Woman of the Year during the annual floor ceremony, on Monday, March 14, which honors outstanding women making an impact in their local communities and across the state.
Collette Carroll, a resident of Clayton, California is a 2015 CNN Hero and the President and Executive Director of California Reentry Institute (CRI), a nonprofit organization that prepares and supports men through the transition from prison to freedom. Through her Empowered Reentry Program based out of San Quentin State Prison, Collette provides inmates with the tools and assistance to become contributing members of society, proving that with preparation and support, the cycle of incarceration can be broken.
“It is an honor to recognize Collette for her courageous work and its impact on California,” said Bonilla. “Her dedication, passion and commitment has transformed the lives of CRI graduates. The work she has accomplished inside and outside of our prisons for over 16 years proves that change and rehabilitation can happen when given the opportunity and support.”
In 2008, Collette created CRI when she realized the work she was doing was simply scratching the surface and that in order to make a successful transition from incarceration to freedom, men needed a solid and seamless pre-and post-release program. The comprehensive program which Collette runs inside San Quentin is a minimum 20 months and has had a remarkable, zero percent recidivism rate for all graduates of the program.
This past February, Collette held a graduation for a class of 43 and will begin a new class in late Spring. For more information about Collette and CRI, please visit: http://californiareentryinstitute.org/.
Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord) was elected in November 2010 and represents California’s 14th Assembly District, which includes Contra Costa County and Solano County.
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