Inmate finds joy, local fame and purpose with art

Prescott Apachito, an inmate at the Socorro County Detention Center, has become locally recognized as a talented muralist. He attributes the recognition and his personal growth to the RISE (Reach, Intervention, Support and Engage) program for inmates.

The first time Prescott Apachito remembers being recognized for his artwork was in fifth grade. As a student at Magdalena schools, he submitted a painting of a crane that was displayed at the Macey Center. He won first place for his piece; he was only ten years old.

When he was young he felt pulled in different directions and didn’t ever really think about what he wanted and needed in his life. He said school wasn’t easy for him and he started finding himself in trouble. He remembers during in-school suspension at the school library, he began drawing more.

“This is why I’m actually enjoying the things that I’m doing right now. Because this is what I want and this is what I need. And if it wasn’t for Vanessa, Eddie and some of the RISE members there uplifting and encouraging me. That’s what has helped me step up my game, it’s made my mind clear, where I can be at ease and where I can enjoy my life and what I want to do with my life.” Apachito said.

The Socorro County Detention Center has been paving the way for inmate rehabilitation with its RISE program, a jail-based community alternatives program. Participants can be found cleaning up cemeteries all over the county, growing vegetables for the county fair’s salsa competition, and, most recently, filling up sandbags to help communities in flooding zones.

For Eddie Garcia, Socorro County Detention administrator, Apachito is evidence of the program’s success. Garcia has watched Apachito’s transformation firsthand.

Garcia says Apachito is always engaged. He gets up early and participates in all of the programs, such as literacy, kitchen, garden, acupuncture and group.

“If you saw his booking picture from his first day here to now, he’s totally different. He would never talk or say much; he just stayed to himself but he has opened up gradually. We trust him, we believe in him and he’s respectful to my staff to other inmates,” Garcia said.

Apachito never imagined that being in jail would lead him to where he is now.

“Being incarcerated has changed my ways, my life, my thinking,” Apachito said

With all the support, he now has a future to look forward to and is grateful for the relationships he has made, especially with his family.

“One day, I talked to my auntie, and they put me on speaker. I could hear my grandparents and they were crying. It made me proud because I know it was a tears of joy,” Apachito said.

One of the joys he’s discovered while incarcerated is mentoring and inspiring other inmates. He wants others to know that you don’t have to be incarnated to change your life. He encourages people to look into themselves, avoid trouble, stay in school and to help each other.

“I believe in them, I know they can make it, it’s one of the things I do enjoy helping the community,” Apachito said.

Garcia said other inmates, both male and female, look up to Apachito and he’s had a huge positive influence on the culture in the pods.

“He’s a leader in the pod, and if there’s something going on, he’s one of the guys that says, ‘Hey, we can’t be doing this; we get a lot of privileges in here.’ So he’s a mentor and they look up to him as he’s involved in so much right now, either inside the facility or on the outside,” Garcia said.

Garcia said he has seen the program grow, and the community has become enthusiastic and supportive of it. Now, he is getting calls from people asking if the RISE participants can come help with projects all over the county. Last month, Apachito was invited to speak at a 100% Community event and had an overwhelmingly positive response.

“It’s just amazing that our program took off like the way it is, and we’re like the big brother of the program in the state,” Garcia said. “People come down from Farmington and Gallup to check out a RISE program and see all the creative stuff we do.”