At 27 years old, Joseph Boucher has “lived a lot of life.”
“I was an addict for 12 years,” Boucher said. “I started very young. By the time I was 13 I was using methamphetamine and in and out of juvie.”
Boucher grew up in Placentia. It’s a tiny, suburban neighborhood bordering Anaheim. In a town where you’re either very rich or very poor, Boucher said he fit in nowhere. He found his sense of community among people living outside the law.
“It is a central hub for a lot of criminal activity,” Boucher said of the Orange County town.
Activity like the armed robberies, drug sales, and residential burglaries that landed Boucher in jail and prison, and the drug use that upended his life until he got sober two years ago. About one year ago, he started to consider school again.
To help combat recidivism, particularly for those like Boucher who fell into trouble at a young age, California has been developing educational programs to help formerly incarcerated people enroll in college. One of these programs, called CORE — Community Overcoming Recidivism through Education — is helping Boucher and other students at Pasadena City College get their lives back on track.
I spent an afternoon in the on-campus club lounge speaking with its members to learn more about the path from childhood, to prison, to the classroom — and what it takes to start your life over.
Starting over
Boucher’s story is not so unique when compared to the nearly 2,000 children who are arrested every day in the United States.
According to the Office of Justice Programs, 75% of people who are incarcerated are illiterate, and around 60% don’t have a high school…
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