As an extension of our weekly "This Week in Westchester - The Podcast" we welcome you to Westchester, Explained. In this special long-form series we take you deeper into the headlines, decisions and policies shaping Westchester County and their impact on your family, your neighborhood and your future. Here we slow it down, dig in and bring in the people doing the work, and we explain not just what the County is doing, but why it matters.

Because government should be clear. This is your County. 

And this is Westchester, Explained. 

What if you were judged by the worst day of your life for the rest of life?  Today we explore this question as we discuss the County's Lives Forward Program – a certified recovery peer advocate program launched in 2023 at the Westchester County Jail.

At the heart -- this is a program about getting inmates to reflect on their own lives and choices -- and then take that knowledge and pass it forward. Joining us today to discuss this program's cross-departmental roots are Department of Community Mental Health Deputy Commissioner Joe  Glazer and Departmenf of Corrections First Deputy Commissioner Noraima Padilla.

And as you will also hear from today's third guest, Alfredo Roldan, who was one of the first Lives Forward Program Graduates -- you will see how this is a episode that's really about second chances, accountability and the power of people helping people. 

Listen now to find out how the Lives Forward Program is changing lives in Westchester County, creating new opportunities and proving that a person's future does not need to be defined by their past -- and why this matters.

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