Operation Restoration Gives Second Chances to Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls

Second Chance Month Recognizes Transition Back Into the Community

 NEW ORLEANS— When a woman or girl walks into New Orleans-based Operation Restoration, they automatically receive a second chance. For many, it may also be their first chance at owning their dignity, exploring their potential or receiving a reassuring hug.

Operation Restoration (OR) was founded in 2016 to support women and girls impacted by incarceration to recognize their full potential, restore their lives and discover new possibilities. That mission drives everyone in the organization, many who are formerly incarcerated.

April is recognized as Second Chance Month, which addresses the importance of safe reentry for people returning from incarceration. Organized by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Office of Justice Programs (OJP), it spotlights the work of organizations such as OR.

The organization’s leaders exemplify how a second chance can transform lives. Founder and CEO Syrita Steib, who received a full presidential pardon in 2020 after having served 10 years in federal prison, is recognized nationally for her work supporting justice-impacted women.

Steib focuses much of her efforts on education, as 41% of incarcerated persons do not have a high school diploma. Despite a 30% recidivism rate for women within five years of release, data shows that 95% of formerly incarcerated persons who seek education stay out of prison.

Her own experiences with the higher education system drove OR’s first initiative. After initially being denied college admission when she checked the box on the application about prior criminal convictions, Steib worked to get legislation passed in Louisiana to Ban the Box and no longer include questions about criminal history on college admission applications.

Several OR programs help clients get an education, including a College-in-Prison program in partnership with Tulane University and a Lab Assistant Training program. As a licensed clinical laboratory scientist, Steib is a leading national advocate for access to STEM opportunities for individuals impacted by incarceration.

“We don’t just offer classroom work,” explains Steib. “That’s not enough, since 80% of incarcerated women are mothers. They may need someone to take care of children when they’re in class. That’s where we step in.”

Steib has also attracted national attention for her advocacy work in the justice-impacted space. She was recently recognized by The Power of Influence International as a 2023 cultural trailblazer. Steib joins a distinguished panel of speakers in May at the Safe & Just Summit hosted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Other speakers include US Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, former New Orleans Mayor and Urban League President/CEO Marc Morial, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Over the past year, Steib and OR Housing Director Dolfinette Martin have spoken at Syracuse and Princeton University symposiums. They led discussions on the "Per(Sister): Incarcerated Women of Louisiana" exhibit, which they co-created in partnership with Tulane University's Newcomb Art Museum. They are also co-curators for “Unthinkable Imagination: A Creative Response to the Juvenile Justice Crisis,” currently on exhibit at Newcomb.

Martin never imagined being involved in an art exhibit nor did she know Princeton University existed when, at 13 years old, she became involved with selling drugs. Over more than a decade, she rotated in and out of prison until she found education.

“I was 40 years old when someone told me that as a Black woman in prison, I could go to college,” says Martin. After release, she finished a degree in technology office systems.

Now Martin helps women locate safe, affordable housing upon release—another of many challenges they face. She knows firsthand about unstable housing, having grown up in public housing. At age 52, Martin recently purchased her first home.

Martin was recently named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Louisiana for 2023.

Montrell Carmouche’s second chance led her down a path where she swore she would never go again. She walked out of prison after 15 years, determined to never re-enter nor have contact with the criminal justice system again.

“I had plans to come home, study for my commercial driver’s license and become a truck driver,” she recalls. “God had a different plan for me.”

Carmouche’s plans lasted only until Steib and Martin picked her up at a halfway house after her release. Eight days later, she was building out OR’s Clothes Closet, where recently released women get free clothes and toiletry items.

Today Carmouche leads OR’s Safety & Freedom Fund. The fund pays bail for people who cannot afford it. Over the past year, she has posted bail for more than 400 clients.

Carmouche’s primary focus is policy, advocacy and educating community leaders on the harm of the money bail system. She is a product of that system, having spent 53 days in jail when she was 19 years old because she didn’t have $2,500 for bail.

Less than five years since her release, Carmouche embodies the hope of second chances. She and Steib were the first two formerly incarcerated women to register as lobbyists in Louisiana.

A quote painted along the wall of the hallway leading to Carmouche’s office in Benson Tower is a daily reminder of her journey: “She could not pay with cash, so she paid with her life.”

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