Бывший заключенный Брайан Паскоу рассказывает о возвращении к жизни после рецидива и важности поддержки

From addiction and incarceration to recovery and a second chance Brian Pascoe walked out of jail with the clothes he was arrested in and $400. Article content Brian Pascoe walked out of jail after serving two-and-a-half years for drug crimes wearing the clothes in which he was arrested. He said he was one of the few lucky ones who had his father there to pick him up. Recommended Videos But most leave jail with nobody from the “outside” waiting for them. “I did about two-and-a-half years and got out on probation and parole. I had a very, very make-believe plan put together, that I had to make happen when I got out,” Pascoe told The Nugget during International Overdose Awareness Day, which took place Monday. “I was lucky enough that I had my father to pick me up. They gave me the clothes I got arrested in. In two years, I made maybe about $400 in jail, working for the various programs they have there.” Pascoe said he wasn’t ready for treatment when he was released. “I relapsed,” he said. “And five years ago, I was looking at, like, a decade in jail. That’s when I chose treatment on my own. I got into peer support before my case was done. I had over 60 letters of support from the community, and the judge told me this opportunity will not happen again. He gave me another chance.” Pascoe said he was given 60-days with an ankle monitor. He said a previous article in The Nugget with Coun. Mark King about providing housing and supports for those who have been incarcerated will undoubtedly make a difference. Pascoe said the key is having people work in the facility who have lived experience. “That is the key, especially because coming out of jail, and if you’re on the street, people do not trust laws, and people who uphold the law.” King asked the province for $750,000 for a housing development program for those leaving the North Bay Jail during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference last month. He said he’s heard those who have been incarcerated upon release are “pushed onto the streets” and end up in emergency shelters, because they have no other place to go to. And then the cycle starts again.