A Future Pulitzer Prize Winner at CSU-Pueblo?

Mary Wendoff, 45, a CSU-Pueblo student and a mother of five "homegrown, young, and Christian" children, is aspiring to leave her mark on the world.

When others volunteer to work with children or pick up trash, Wendoff has chosen to put her energy elsewhere: prisons - more specifically, the people in prisons. She is taking nine credits: two sociology classes and news writing to help her in her crusade for rehabilitation and re-entry of prisoners into society.
Wendoff's main focus is the "Revolving Door" problem.

Wendoff explains that the Revolving Dorr Problem is when parolees that leave the prisons do not receive the help they need upon release to keep from returning.

She says that prisoners have to find a place to live, need a job, and for most of them, need a Colorado ID (that are often lost in the shuffle between county jails, courts and prisons.)

Wendoff explains that prisoners must have IDs to rent a place, get a job, food stamps, etc. Some conditions of their parole are to obtain a job and a place to live, or return to prison on technical violations and not a new crime.

"They can be sent back for 3 to 6 months depending on the mood of the parole officer or the parole judge." Mary complains, "The biggest problem (prisoners) face is with their parole officers. Most parole offices are unconcerned with helping the men they watch, and refuse to help them, when in reality it is they who hold the key to the parolees' success on parole."

Wendoff and her family have spoken to legislators, officials, judges, lawyers, and the Pueblo District Attorney about these problems. They would like to see a shift from "binge" imprisoning people to rehabilitation so that the revolving door is no longer a problem.
And what would you expect this non-traditional public service advocate to do in her spare time? Wendoff reads the Bible. She states, "I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and I read my Bible every day. It is about having faith in God and to obey His every command. Jesus said to help the poor whenever we can."

She continues, "You probably noticed how often it is the poor caught up in the system."
Wendoff enjoys and loves all people, and idolizes the classics: Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez.

For more information, please search for "Revolving Door."