Successful Reintegration: Gregory Cezair – Resettlement Client

 

Mr. Gregory Cezair is enthusiastic about his future. He is a charismatic and humble man who has established his goals and through VOM’s programme, has successfully executed a plan to achieve those goals.

Mr. Cezair works as a motorcycle delivery driver. There are many documentaries, movies and books about prison but none of them actually capture the feeling of the sound of a cell door closing and realizing you can’t go home. What Mr. Cezair learned behind bars did not stop him from repeating the same negative behavior over and over again. His temperament was aggressive and his criminal records were tainted with violence and self-destruction.

How then, did he achieve a lump-sum of money – his own place – a sustainable job and a pretty girlfriend?

Life was not always this easy for him. As a youth, Mr. Cezair faced many struggles and challenges. He increasingly became involved in criminal activity which ultimately led him to be incarcerated at the Youth Training Centre (YTC) in Arouca. There were many times when Mr. Cezair tried to turn his life around, but he could not understand why he was always getting himself into trouble with the law. He even tried having a family so he could live ‘the good life’. Sadly, that did not last – it left him shattered and broken.

Over time, the feeling of hopelessness and despair overwhelmed him and the criminal activities increased, consequently leading him in and out of prison for the next seven years. In 2010, after being evicted from another rehabilitation facility, Mr. Cezair came to VOM- angry and depressed. He felt that VOM was his last attempt because he was about to give up hope. Click on the video (left) to hear Mr. Gregory Cezair’s testimony about the VOM programme .