He thought prison was inevitable — until a court program helped him break the cycle

Steven Woodward believed his future only held two options: “Either a cell or a casket.”

He made poor decisions, got involved with the wrong people and walked down a dangerous path that landed him behind bars on his 18th birthday.

But Woodward said he wasn’t born destined for crime. That life, he explained, was “programmed” into him since he was a child running around Springfield’s Forest Park neighborhood.

“There’s kids over here — 15, 16, 13 years old — selling drugs, toting guns,” Woodward said. “It’s survival of the fittest. We’ve got to throw on that cape at a young age.”

Woodward was given a second chance as he emerged into adulthood.

Instead of serving years in prison on a felony charge, he was offered an opportunity in Hampden County’s Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH), a program that Woodward credits with saving his life.

And on Thursday, in a courtroom filled with assistant district attorneys, social workers, counselors and friends who witnessed his nearly three-year journey through EACH, 20-year-old Woodward graduated the program a changed person. He left the courthouse with his felony charge dismissed, his record sealed and a new life ahead.

A unique program

Launched in 2020 by the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, the EACH program was created with the understanding of how difficult it is for a person to progress through life with a felony on their record.

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, the architect of EACH, said he built the program around the science of brain development — noting that the brain matures well into a person’s 20s.

“As a consequence of a less-than-fully developed brain, young people don’t have the same understanding of consequences,” said Gulluni. He and his staff designed EACH to intervene while young adults stand at a crossroads — what Gulluni called the “precipice” — before reaching a point of no return.

The two-and-a-half-year specialty court aims to assist young felony offenders aged 18 to 24 turn their lives around by helping them find a career, locate stable housing, further their education and engage in therapy. Individuals enrolled in the program plead guilty to their felony charge and are released on probation while enrolled in the program. If a participant successfully makes these changes to their life they complete the program, have their felony charge dropped and their entire criminal history sealed. Employers, renters and anyone else who requests a background check cannot view their criminal record.

There is no other post-conviction court program like EACH in the state of Massachusetts. Only a handful of similar courts exist in the country.

‘I wanted to be somebody’

Hendrick Allende was the second participant to receive an EACH graduation certificate on Thursday.

Allende said he’s blessed to have his freedom and is looking to become the provider he always wanted to be.

“I just want to have something to give back to my family,” said Allende.

At 17, he entered fatherhood around the same time he stepped into adulthood. Tired of the fast cash he made on the street and burdened by the responsibility of being a parent, Allende set his sights on a legitimate career.

“I always had the mindset I wanted to be somebody, just didn’t know what,” he said. Truck driving caught his attention. To Allende, it seemed liberating.

“It’s freeing, driving around the country,” Allende said, “and it pays well too.”

Two days before he was scheduled to take his Commercial Driving License (CDL) exam, Allende was arrested and charged with a felony at 21 years old — a major setback to his plans.

Determined to get back on track, he enrolled in EACH. Now a father of three, Allende needed to secure steady employment while working through the program.

“I didn’t know how hard it is to find a job with a felony. It took me seven months to get where I’m at,” he said. With support from EACH leaders and Roca — a nonprofit that works with at-risk youth — Allende found a job at a chemical tank wash cleaning service.

Compton Durant, his supervisor, said Allende quickly earned his respect.

“He was up front with me about his situation,” said Durant. “He’s a young man, nobody’s perfect. His felony wasn’t something that was a deal breaker.”

Felony-free, Allende is now preparing to take his CDL exam in the coming weeks, with financial assistance from EACH and Roca.

“I’m ready to start this career,” he said. “Hopefully, in the future, I can even open up a business in the city.”

Not long ago, Allende said he remembers seeing Woodward around town.

“Glad both of us made it out,” he said.

EACH Judge Kevin Maltby said both Allende and Woodward had their unique paths to graduation. Though they had setbacks, neither quit or gave up on themselves, he said.

“By graduating, they have passed the opportunity along to others waiting to enter the specialty court,” Maltby said. “I could not be more proud of them and the entire EACH team.”

Heartbreaks

Not every EACH participant’s story has had a happy ending. Since its inception, 36 young adults with felony charges have been accepted into the program. Thirteen are currently enrolled. Woodward and Allende represent the eighth and ninth graduates.

According to the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, 14 participants failed to complete the program. The reasons vary — struggles with addiction, recidivism, or an unwillingness to make lasting changes.

One participant, David Ballard, was shot and killed while still in the program.

Reads more: David Ballard, featured on MassLive story about Hampden DA program giving young adults a second chance, shot dead in Springfield

Ballard’s story, District Attorney Gulluni said, was a heartbreaking reminder of what’s at stake.

“There was no way we were going to work with this high-risk population and be completely successful with each and every person,” Gulluni said. “But if we can affect the lives of one, two, or three young people who were wayward, who were hopeless — I think all the toil and the investment in EACH will be worth it.”

Building a life

Woodward’s journey through EACH wasn’t just about staying out of jail — it was about building a life.

He earned his HiSET, a high school equivalency diploma and moved into safe housing to distance himself from old influences. Most recently, he began a carpentry apprenticeship.

“I just did a trailer, a double-wide trailer,” Woodward said. “We laid down all the flooring, redid everything, all the cuts on the house, the doors.”

He’s hopeful the apprenticeship will turn into a lifelong career. “I’m just always trying to be open to new experiences,” he said.

Graduation was bittersweet. Woodward lost several friends during his time in the program — people who didn’t get a second chance.

“I’m emotionally regulated,” he said. “Without [EACH], I wouldn’t be the person I am.”

But more than anything, Woodward is grateful to be able to enjoy his youth — something he once thought was lost.

“I’ve been going to the water park,” he said. “I’ve been on a bracelet for years. Haven’t been able to do any of this.”

Tristan Smith produced a documentary on the program, “EACH” premiered at New York University’s 2025 News & Doc Film Festival. The film also screened at the Easthampton Film Festival and the Massachusetts International Film Festival. Some material from the documentary was used in the reporting of this article.