About the Founders of BRET Building Relationships in East Texas
- BRET Building Relationships in East Texas
- Sep 12, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 8, 2019
Nonprofit organization helps ex-offenders adjust to life after prison
BETTY WATERS news@tylerpaper.com Sep 1, 2019
The world was different when Patrick Smith, of Tyler, returned to society after spending 21 years and four months incarcerated. He was 18 when he went to prison and came home at age 39.
He recalled Sunday, “When I left, there was no cellphone. The day I was released, my mom gave me a cellphone to talk to someone. I didn’t know how to hold it; I didn’t know how to talk on it.”
That same day, his family took him to a fast food restaurant and his mom told him to order what he wanted. “I was scared to death; I was terrified. I didn’t know how to order,” Smith said.
Later they went to a Walmart.
From the moment he walked in, Smith was self-conscious and certain that everybody in the store was watching him and knew he was fresh out of prison. His mother left him at the register to pay for his items, but he did not know how to use her credit card, so a cashier guided him through the process.
Those are “small things” that people outside of prison do not realize confront ex-offenders, but they are “major” to persons who were incarcerated serving long sentences, Smith said. Ex-offenders need support from family, friends, businesses and the community to adjust to being out of prison, Smith asserted.
Smith has become active in an organization formed last January by his wife, Kimberly Smith, called Building Relationships in East Texas, aimed at providing resources and services to support people who have been affected by the justice system.
BRET, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has as its motto, “changing the recidivism rate, one ex-offender at a time.”
Patrick Smith said BRET wants to equip ex-offenders with the tools to be successful for life outside of prison by counseling them about adjusting to changes in society since they were incarcerated, how to dress for and conduct a job interview and to provide other advice.
When Patrick Smith was released from prison in 2011, he found it was tough getting a job even though something had clicked during his time in prison. He had decided to make a change and earned a high school equivalency diploma, two associate degrees and a bachelor’s degree in sociology while still incarcerated.
Patrick Smith said, “There is nothing about my incarceration that I regret other than the crime I committed. To say I’m remorseful for that crime is an understatement. I will carry that burden for the rest of my life. Because of that burden, if I can help keep one ex-offender from returning to prison, that’s what I would like to do.”
He was one of a few speakers during an event Sunday titled “100 Faces of Freedom” that was held to support and encourage men and women formerly incarcerated, whether in jail or prison.
BRET conducted the event for formerly incarcerated persons, their families and friends at Jones Valley Church of God in Christ on Texas College Road in support of a new beginning. BRET also sponsors workshops and seminars for ex-offenders.
Kimberly Smith, the founder, who has not been incarcerated, started the organization because of having seen the need for it as the couple adjusted to life after Patrick was released from prison.
Kimberly Smith said BRET helps formerly incarcerated people not only find a job but become rehabilitated, educated and productive citizens. BRET also aids their families and friends in the adjustment process.
“Starting over for some men and women can be challenging at times. We are not here to judge. We believe that the more we talk about it, educate those returning home and support our men and women, the better it will be for all of us,” she said. “We try to help individuals that want the help and want to do better for themselves and their family.”
Saying BRET helps change the mindset of ex-offenders, she said the organization conveys a message to formerly incarcerated men and women that they cannot change what they did, but they can live the rest of their life by doing things better than they did before.
Friends and family need to know what they can do in order to help formerly incarcerated persons adjust to life outside, she added.
A lot of people may say equipping ex-offenders with the tools to be successful after prison is impossible, Patrick Smith said. “I’m proof that it can be done. Somebody has to care. If we (BRET) can help one, we’ve done our job. Without a doubt, we are going to save a lot more.”
BRET contact info.
Kim Smith at 903-805-3662
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