Stephen F. turned a seven-year sentence into an opportunity to change his life — and inspired others in the process.
Chapter One of Stephen F.’s life begins, he says, when he was incarcerated at age 17.
Everything that came before — bouncing around the foster care system, searching in vain for stable family role models, working two jobs at age 16 to support himself, descending into a Portland street culture of drugs and guns — was a prologue to a 7½-year sentence for armed robbery. To Stephen, the real story begins with a teenager turning his mistakes into an opportunity to change his life for the better.
Stephen, now 24, recently walked out of the Camp Florence Youth Transitional Facility a much different person than when he entered Oregon Youth Authority custody. Eleven days before his release, as he took time to reflect on his time with OYA, it was easy to see why he had earned the respect of both youth and staff.
“While we’re in here, we’re sitting and reflecting, and we’re reliving the same memories over and over again,” Stephen says. “People on the outs, they don’t have that time to take a break, stop the chaos, and think about what’s going on. Incarceration gave me the time to evaluate myself.
As he observed many of the other youth in detention, he says he realized it was not a place for him. “I had morals, I had values, and I told myself I’d never lose those,” he says. “I wasn’t going to be institutionalized. I was going to always stay me.
When he ended up at OYA’s MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, he finally glimpsed success — via the older youth who participated in programs, enrolled in college, and garnered respect from staff. “I thought, ‘If I have seven years to do in here, I’d rather do it like them,’” he says.
He joined Toastmasters and music groups through Janus Youth Programs’ Hope Partnership, which connects MacLaren youth with the community through volunteer-led workshops and classes focused on the arts, life skills, vocational training, and transition services.
Stephen’s early days in the Multnomah County juvenile facility had a lasting impact in more ways than one. While there, he met another youth who ultimately became one of his best friends: Noah S.
Stephen and Noah both found their passion for poetry through Hope Partnership. When the two moved on to the Camp Florence transition facility, they started a program to teach poetry to students at the local high school.
They established a nonprofit, Verbal Escape, with the goals of “teaching poetry, being mentors to young people, and letting them know their story matters,” Stephen says.
These are just some of the many goals Stephen has for his new life after incarceration. While at OYA, he earned his associate degree through Lane Community College, and he’s six classes away from completing his bachelor’s in human development and family science from Oregon State University.
Stephen earned his high school diploma and associate’s degree while in OYA custody, and he is six classes away from finishing his bachelor’s degree at Oregon State University.
Before his release, he already had secured his first job — as a project manager for Teaching With Purpose, a Portland organization that works to educate and inspire teachers, parents, students, and community organizers about culturally responsive practices.
But before he can do anything else, Stephen has the important task of re-entering society — and reconnecting with family — in a much different position than when he left.
“Am I scared of getting out? Nah. Maybe I’m still a little crazy because I’m not scared,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve got a lot of relationships to rekindle with family. They don’t know who I’ve become. They don’t know how I’ve changed. It’s time to show them who this new Stephen is.