“Instead of being stuck in my past, I now see myself as someone who can grow and move forward,” Pam says. “I finally felt seen as a person, not just a case.”
For too long, our probation system has often set people up to fail without addressing recidivism, accountability, and healing. As someone who has been in probation throughout the years, Pam’s experiences in the Family Sentencing Alternative Program (FSAP) have created a positive path for her to learn from her mistakes, take care of her grandson, and be a role model for other participants.
FSAP is a prison diversion program that allows eligible parents and caregivers to serve their sentences in the community. By pairing rigorous supervision with rehabilitative classes and treatment, FSAP promotes accountability without tearing families apart.
As a primary caregiver, Pam’s absence would have had a rippling effect on her grandson. Through FSAP, she was able to maintain a stable home, proving that structured supervision can protect a child’s future while a grandparent works to repair her own.
That’s why PSJ helped pilot FSAP and championed the legislation that turned it into a permanent statewide model. FSAP keeps our communities safer while proving that accountability doesn’t require tearing families apart or inflicting the trauma of parental incarceration.
Accountability Rooted in Growth and Healing
Before FSAP, Pam’s experience with supervision felt rigid and punitive. “I was used to being monitored and judged,” she recalls.
FSAP focuses on “growth, guidance, and real support, not just rules and punishment. It shows up in the people who work alongside her every day: her parole officer, Elizabeth, and her intervention specialist, Ryan.
Rather than focusing only on compliance, they invest in understanding Pam’s goals, struggles, and strengths. Elizabeth and Ryan believed in her ability to change and grow as a person, treated her with respect, and took the time to understand her.
They have also helped her support her grandson. Since Pam started this program, he has graduated from school and got his license and a job.
This shifts the culture of traditional supervision – from punishment to accountability – where participants feel supported by their parole officers and can take accountability, engage in services, and prioritize restoration.
Keeping Families Together
Because FSAP allowed her to remain in the community, Pam was able to be present for her grandson during critical years. “Since I started this program, he graduated from school, got his license, and found a job,” she says.
For many families, those milestones would have been missed under a traditional prison sentence, where separation often disrupts daily life and disconnects parents from their children’s growth.
Learning and Passing Wisdom to Others
The classes that she has taken through FSAP have taught her important life skills, making better decisions, and taking responsibility for her actions. Pam states, “I’m truly grateful for this opportunity, and the support I received from this program has helped me become a better person.”
Pam is a role model for participants in FSAP by changing the narrative on how to be accountable.
Removing Barriers for Participants to Engage in Supervision
In a county where affordable housing and public transportation are scarce, the domino effect of poverty, especially the lack of transportation to support employment, can easily derail a person’s progress and ability to comply with community supervision. However, FSAP serves as a lifeline by removing the daily barriers to survival. The program’s ability to provide tangible resources, such as gas vouchers, rental assistance, baby supplies, and groceries, makes structured supervision possible. By addressing these fundamental needs, FSAP ensures that participants can fulfill court-ordered obligations, attend mandatory treatment, and remain present, providing caregivers for their children.
FSAP provides a meaningful path to rehabilitation by equipping participants like Pam with the specific tools they need to succeed. Unlike the traditional probation Pam previously experienced, FSAP offers trauma-informed resources that prioritize healing, skill-building, and long-term stability while keeping families together. Given FSAP’s success and Oregon’s leadership in innovation, PSJ will continue to champion solutions that deliver meaningful accountability and healing while reducing unnecessary incarceration.