“Just because you made mistakes when you were young doesn’t mean that your life is over,” said 23-year-old Dylan Sutter, a 2017 graduate of John Marshall High School. “You can still make positive decisions and change your life.”

Once a star football player, Dylan began wandering down a risky path when he started committing minor offenses in early 2015 — skipping school, sneaking out, theft, and smoking marijuana. His trajectory hit a crossroads in 2017, when he was charged with one count of aggravated first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, and fifth-degree assault at the age of 18. He was later sentenced to five years in prison.

Dylan was among the millions of kids across the country who find themselves caught up in a generational cycle of incarceration. Dylan’s father, Thaddius Ledford, was incarcerated for most of Dylan’s childhood. “I didn’t know until many years later — once it started coming out in (Dylan’s) behaviors — that the absence of his dad, and his dad in incarceration, was impacting him,” his mother, Leslie Sutter, said. “(When Dylan was arrested), I started to think: what programs are out there? What resources are out there that I could have used that I missed? What could I have done better or differently to prevent him from getting to this point?”

Anticipating Dylan’s release from prison in 2023 (although Leslie suspected he would be released on good terms in 2021 — which he was), and wanting to ensure a smooth transition back to civilian life, Leslie launched the nonprofit organization Parents of Incarcerated Sons and Daughters (POISD), a family-centered group dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated individuals restore their lives, help their families heal, and educate the public on the importance of rehabilitation for those who are in prison.

“I am a parent, and I’ve had a son in prison,” said Leslie. “I want people who have been in prison or their families, when they learn about our organization, they’re like, ‘these people have been there. They get it.’ … When you know that someone has been through what you’re going through or what you’ve been through, it gives it a little bit of a different feel and a little bit of a different trust.”

responding to a community need

The Dodge-Fillmore-Olmsted County Community Corrections outlined rehabilitation for formerly incarcerated individuals as a pressing community need in its 2021-22 Comprehensive Plan, detailing how lowering rates of incarceration both in Olmsted County’s adult detention centers as well as juvenile detention centers means more individuals will soon be reintegrating into civilian life — and that means an increased need for community programs and support aimed at restoration and rehabilitation.

“Being in prison is very lonely, sad, knowing you have to wait until your date to be released,” said Dylan. “Getting out was overwhelming. Transitioning back to society, being around people. I felt a lot of social anxiety. I didn’t want to be around people after spending the majority of almost three years locked down.”

“I try not to focus on my past mistakes,” he added, “but rather focus on the good decisions I am making now. However, I do think about where I used to be, as a motivation to not go back.”

POISD was initially developed as a support group with significant help from Tierre Webster, Executive Director of Damascus Way — a local Christian organization that provides a pathway to stable housing, employment, and community connections using a Christ-centered approach for people who were formerly incarcerated.

According to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Minnesota's three-year recidivism rate has ranged from 35-37 percent in recent years. And a large percentage of the individuals who are reincarcerated are often those who struggle with financial barriers, says Tawonda Burks, owner of ELOCINA, LLC, a small business that provides consulting, education, and credit repair services to aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. That’s why she offers classes in partnership with POISD specifically geared toward financial literacy and business advice for those who have been in prison.

“A lot of individuals that have this past experience with being incarcerated, they’re great entrepreneurs anyways,” Tawonda said. “It’s just learning how to channel that experience in a positive light and gaining the skills they need to be successful at what they do.”

Finding support

In early June, POISD received its first grant — $2,000 thanks to the “Commitment to Action Towards Racial Justice” program from the Rochester Non-Profit Consortium in partnership with United Way of Olmsted County, Rochester Area Foundation, Mayo Clinic, and Think Bank.

The funds will support the launch of their new program, called “From Rap Sheets to Resumes,” offering professional development training courses for formerly incarcerated community members in partnership with ELOCINA. The title was ideated by Leslie, and references the list of convictions given to prisoners when they are in prison. “It gives you this visual of where someone’s been and where they’re going,” Leslie said.

The in-person classes — which include Entrepreneurship 101, Marketing Small Business, Kickstarting Your Business With Crowdsourcing, and E-Commerce Management — will launch in the fall. Interested individuals are encouraged to fill out an application, which gauges community interest, and aims to learn what topics interest formerly incarcerated individuals.

“You’ve been totally conditioned to live a certain way in a prison environment,” Leslie said, sharing how her son could barely remember how to make breakfast when he was first released from prison. “Then you come out here, and you’re thrown off. That’s why the support is so critical — whether it’s from family and friends or organizations like ours, just to know that there’s somebody to help out.”

A second grant from the Rochester Area Foundation will soon support POISD’s next endeavor: Healing and Hope Initiative for Children Impacted by Incarceration.

POISD’s immediate priority is to establish their courses, and also to network with area businesses and organizations to provide more community support and resources for people impacted by incarceration. So far, some local businesses — such as Jets Gymnastics, Anytime Fitness, Roca Climbing & Fitness, SPARK Children’s Museum, and a partnership with Coulee Bank — offer discounts, free membership, or other support for individuals and/or families impacted by incarceration.

But when it comes to gaining community support, they still have a long way to go. Many people in the community are quick to judge, and slow to warm up to people who have a criminal record.

“I understand people’s feelings toward my son,” Leslie said. “I mean, he did some bad things — some illegal things. But it just goes back to giving people another chance.”

Rebecca Mennecke is a 2017 Century High School graduate who formerly worked as a groundskeeper for the Mayo Clinic Historic Properties before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism. She has worked as Associate Editor of Volume One Magazine in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Communications Associate for the University of Minnesota, and will begin her new role as Assistant Editor of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine in August.

Cover photo: Dylan, Leslie, and Olivia (Dylan’s sister) pose for a photo at the Faribault Correctional Facility in March 2020 / Submitted