'This was an eye-opening experience': Broncos receive firsthand look at incarceration alternative

Dec 18, 2025 at 05:17 PM

Aric DiLalla

Lead writer

ORDWAY, Colo. — Pat Bryant knows what the alternative looks like.

When the Broncos' rookie wide receiver was growing up, he had friends and family members who were incarcerated in the Florida state prison system. From both his own visitation and the experiences of those close to him, Bryant gained an understanding of what goes on — and what life is like — inside of those walls.

As Bryant stood outside the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility (AVCF) in southeast Colorado on a recent fall afternoon, that experience in his home state stood in stark contrast to an inside look at the Vera Institute of Justice's Restoring Promise initiative and the ChangeMaker Village young-adult housing unit.

"Being behind that door and seeing what goes on was a huge eye-opener, especially the way they ran things here," Bryant said.

In a shift from a traditional incarceration setting, the Vera Institute of Justice's Restoring Promise initiative aims to transform prison culture, climates and spaces by working with correctional leaders and incarcerated people to reimagine housing units for young adults (ages 18 to 25) and commit to practices guided by an emphasis on human dignity. The initiative pairs mentors — ages 25 and older serving lengthy or life sentences — with young adults. The mentors live alongside the young adults and help lead classes and workshops that focus on life skills and reentry preparation. With a dignity-first approach, the initiative helps to create a sense of purpose and community while also making prisons safer.

As part of its strategy to enhance safety and improve reentry, the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) established its first young adult housing unit by partnering with the Vera Institute of Justice's Restoring Promise initiative. The Denver Broncos Foundation has provided grant funding to Restoring Promise to both train staff and conduct research on the effectiveness of the initiative — which spans across five states — and its possible future expansion.

A simple summary of the initiative's intent, however, fails to provide a true barometer of the program's impact.

And that's why Bryant, Broncos Owner Carrie Walton Penner, tackle Garett Bolles and former Broncos defender Jurrell Casey spent several hours inside the facility, gaining a deeper understanding of the difference that Restoring Promise can have in the lives of young, incarcerated people.

Through a tour of the facility, lunch alongside the mentors and mentees and an in-depth look into the daily routine inside the ChangeMaker Village, the Broncos' contingent saw a form of incarceration that both challenged assumptions about the prison system and offered clear preparation for life after prison. Even the physical differences were noticeable between ChangeMaker Village and the rest of the facility, including the furniture and signage on the walls.

"Just having the ability to talk to those guys and see that they want to change and having the opportunity to change with those great mentors," Bryant said. "I even told them, 'Y'all boys are blessed. I have friends and family members that are in state prison in Florida, and it's nothing like this.' I told them to take full advantage of it and just pick these mentors' brains. Do as much as you can, so that when you get to the free world, you're off and running."

The statistics, provided by the Vera Institute, also bear out the effectiveness of the program. Ninety-eight percent of young adults in Restoring Promise units agreed that the Department of Corrections is preparing them for successful reentry and that they are gaining life skills, compared to 22 percent and 66 percent of the general population, respectively. Ninety percent of that cohort said the punishments they receive seem fair, compared to 15 percent of the general population. A year after ChangeMaker Village opened, 100 percent of mentors and staff and 98 percent of young adults agreed they felt safe on the unit. Further benefits extend to the staff, as well; 100 percent of staff working on the unit said their quality of life improved and they were less stressed at work.

Findings like these are consistent across Restoring Promise sites nationally, as a Randomized Control Trial in South Carolina found that young adults in RP units had a 73 percent reduction in the odds of being convicted of a violent disciplinary infraction and an 83 percent reduction in the odds of being sent to a restrictive housing unit.

"It was incredible to sit down and to have lunch with these young men," Walton Penner said. "They got here through all different pathways, and through this program, they have hope in their future. It's great to see that and to really experience a program like this that's focused on helping them develop skills, continue to learn — regardless of how long they will be here. To be in a program like this, where they're really focused on themselves and growing themselves and having a positive impact on those around them, is amazing to see. It was a special day."

For as beneficial as the visit was for Walton Penner and the rest of the Broncos' group, it was equally meaningful for the young men inside ChangeMaker Village — or The 'Ville, as it's known to its residents.

"For the young men and mentors on our unit, it means so much to see that people on the outside care about what's happening inside of prison and that they find value in the work that they are doing every day to better themselves and better the community around them," said Chloe Aquart, the initiative director of Restoring Promise. "It really meant everything to have [the Broncos] here."

And those who have benefitted from the initiative see the value in expanding its impact.

Photos: Broncos tour Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility as Denver Broncos Foundation helps fund Restoring Promise training

Recently, Broncos Owner Carrie Walton Penner, tackle Garett Bolles, wide receiver Pat Bryant and former defensive lineman Jurrell Casey visited the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility as the Denver Broncos Foundation funded training sessions at ChangeMakers Village and to help track its effectiveness.

1 / 34

Garett Bolles talks with Carrie Walton Penner during a visit to the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility in Ordway, Colorado on October 14, 2025. In partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, the Denver Broncos Foundation toured ChangeMakers Village (a Restoring Promise Unit).Photo by Gabriel Christus / Denver Broncos