This artilce appeared in the February 2016 Salem Business Journal.
"I'm very proud of my guys." That's what Sgt. Anna Whitlock calls her clients – "my guys." Anna has served with the Sheriff's Office Parole & Probation Division since 2000 and she considers her work a calling. Throughout the Parole & Probation office are plaques with the motto, "HOPE to change. COURAGE to make it happen. DETERMINATION to follow through." These are the values Anna encourages her clients with every day. She says of her work, "There is hope. They can turn their lives around. I've seen it many times. That's what's really encouraging, that's the best reward I can ever have."
Since 2010 Anna has been assigned to the Sheriff's Office Transitional Services Unit working with offenders reentering our community from prison. Until she was promoted to sergeant almost a year ago, Anna served in the Student Opportunity for Achieving Results or SOAR program. Now she supervises that program.
SOAR is an intensive 12-week program on the Chemeketa Community College campus that combines post-prison supervision with cognitive and motivational programs, parenting classes, substance abuse treatment, and employment services. Most importantly clients lose the label of "offender" and become "students."
"At the start of each class, I tell the students how brave they are," said Anna. "We're asking them to trust us and it's brave to trust." There are a lot of expectations of SOAR participants. In addition to meeting conditions of supervision and class work, students are expected to deeply examine their behaviors and past choices to change their future by changing the way they think and react to outside influences. She knows clients are sometimes reluctant going in. They don't know what to expect and may not have had good relationships with their parole officers in the past.
For Anna, seeing first hand as students gain new skills and get the tools they need to live crime free in our community is her incentive to remain involved in the reentry program. She says she's never made it through a SOAR graduation without crying. For some participants completing SOAR is their first certificate or graduation of any kind and often their first hug from a parole officer.
The program is paying off. Marion County has made great strides in promoting successful prisoner reentry, reducing the overall recidivism rate from 36 percent in 2002 to a low of 14 percent in 2014.
Helping people change their lives is what drives Anna. "If we improve the lives of our clients, we improve the lives of so many other people. This ultimately makes our community better," she said. The real payoff for the community is former prisoners who gain employment, maintain sobriety, reunite with their children, obtain stable housing, and become productive citizens who give back.
Anna considers the extensive community support a big part of what has made SOAR and the entire reentry program successful. "Prison costs a lot of money. We've had to be proactive and willing to try something different. It's gratifying that Marion County's leaders have led the charge to change how we do things, because change isn't always easy." Just ask her guys.
Anna gives considerable credit to Sheriff Jason Myers, Parole & Probation Division Commander Jeff Wood, the Board of Commissioners, local non-profits, businesses, and community leaders who have stepped up to create proactive policies, raise money, and bring attention to the issue of prisoner reentry, "A big part of our success is that the people involved really believe in what we're doing," she added.
Anna is especially appreciative of encouragement throughout her career to learn and grow in her profession. "Marion County has great leadership. They've allowed me to grow tremendously. My supervisors always pushed me; they saw I could do more." It's part of what made her want to become a supervisor.
Anna came to Marion County from Sweden. She first came to Salem to visit a friend and ended up staying. "It's the perfect small city," she said. As a young women she had an interest in law enforcement and psychology, although had never pursued either profession. As a volunteer in a program for at-risk youth she toured the Parole & Probation office and was hooked.
In 2000 Anna started as a volunteer, eventually becoming a paid intern and knew it was the right fit. While she knew she wanted to stay, she had some work to do. To meet the qualifications of a full-time Deputy Sheriff, Anna had to gain experience in the field and become a U.S. citizen – her green card wasn't enough. She did both and was hired as a full-time deputy in 2004.
"As a Parole & Probation officer I get to do a little bit of everything. You're part police officer, part counselor and you get to build a rapport with your clients," said Anna. She recognizes that holding people accountable is a big part of the job; but, she also says you have to be present for people. Really listen and let them know you care. That's how you reach people, "You can always make someone feel important; even for just a little bit."
So what do Anna's guys say about her and the SOAR program? It's all good. After completing the program, many have continued their education, gained employment, and built positive relationships with their families. Two are working toward becoming drug and alcohol counselors. Most say they couldn't have done it without SOAR and, for many, Anna's name is synonymous with SOAR.
Damon, one of Anna's former clients, recounted his experience with Anna and the SOAR program during an annual "Giving People a Second Chance" community breakfast. He said, "When I first met Anna Whitlock she said I had the biggest case file she had ever seen. So we really had our work cut out for us. But we never gave up and she never gave up on me." Anna had tears in her eyes and so did everyone else.
No story about Anna's influence in the SOAR program would be complete without talking about Joshua. You see, Joshua had initially turned Anna down and had no interest in SOAR. About three months after his release from prison he ran into a friend while at Chemeketa Community College and was reintroduced to SOAR and Anna. He signed up for SOAR that day and successfully completed the program. Although he's been off supervision for more than eighteen months, he is still in regular contact with Anna. In fact, she attended his wedding last spring. There is no doubt; Joshua is still one of "her guys."
