Here’s a “One Time” — your monthly newsletter covering

all things ARC!

In your October 2025 note, you will find:

• Raising The Youth (Department) – A Q&A with Jason Holland and Edwin Paragas, ARC's New Co-Directors of Youth Development Programs by ARC Communications and Policy Strategist, Josh Pynoos

• It’s Been One Year Since Prop 36 Passed. Is Mass Treatment Working? -

  Read an update on how Proposition 36 is being implemented—and why more people are ending up in the criminal justice system instead of receiving treatment by ARC Communications and Policy Strategist, Josh Pynoos

• Do You Believe in Second Chance Hiring? - Sign up to become a Second Chance Employer Today!

• October Highlights and Upcoming Events 

• Trick or Treat Game - Put on your detective mask and bust the biggest Halloween-season myths about reentry.

A conversation with Jason Holland and Edwin Paragas about their journey from incarceration to working with youth, their vision for ARC, and how youth development creates new pathways for formerly incarcerated youth

Question: Why did you start working with youth?

Edwin: I still remember how it felt being incarcerated at age 12. So while I was inside state prison, I always felt like I needed to give back to the people I’d harmed. When I was released from state prison in 2019, I had the opportunity to work for Healing Dialogue and Action and got to work inside juvenile hall. Going back to juvenile hall has always been my passion because I remember that 12-year-old kid and what he needed. 

Jason: I was sentenced to life without parole at age 18. During my incarceration, I read a book that asked, “What would happen if you really tried to reach your potential?” I realized I’d never tried before. Once I started learning, growing, and unpacking things within myself, I began helping others around me. After the Governor commuted my sentence, I came home and wanted to work in the coaching space. I felt I had value to give people like my younger self.

Question: What are your approaches to working with youth?

Jason: Every young person operates from a mental map built from their experiences and beliefs. By introducing new ideas and experiences, we help them redraw that map. We can literally change how they see themselves and the world. Sometimes we’re just planting seeds that might not bloom for years.

Edwin: Exactly. People planted seeds in us while we were adults in prison, and that’s what helped us transform. Now we’re doing the same for youth.

You might have forgotten about Proposition 36, last year’s CA ballot measure that increased penalties for retail theft and certain drug offenses. After all, the wave of news stories about “spikes” in retail theft has largely disappeared from local coverage. Supporters of the initiative claimed it would usher in “mass treatment” and help people struggling with addiction enter recovery programs. But the early data tell a different story.

In the year since voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36, court records show that only 25 people statewide have completed the mandated drug treatment programs.  

In the first six months of Proposition 36’s rollout, over 9,000 people were charged with a felony for third-time drug offenses. Only 15% of those eligible have opted for treatment instead of a felony conviction, and just 25 total people statewide have completed the program. As a result, more people are being pulled into the criminal justice system, with less than 3% completing treatment.  

Do You Believe in Second Chances?

October Highlights!