From corrections to confidence: My path through support and change

Shannon DeHeve is a former participant in the Dodge & Olmsted (D&O) Community Corrections probation program. Through D&O Community Corrections, DeHeve received support from her probation officer, Jenna McMillan, and connected services including treatment for co‑occurring disorders, long‑term sober living, outpatient care, and mental health support. 

After experiencing homelessness, addiction, and multiple felony charges, DeHeve’s probation officer, McMillan, played a central role in helping her rebuild trust in the system and begin her recovery. 

DeHeve wanted to share her personal experience with D&O Community Corrections to explain why she pursued studies in this field and why she is committed to graduating from college and giving back to the same system that helped change her life. 

She is currently completing her Bachelor of Science in Corrections Support Services online through the University of Phoenix, with an expected graduation in December 2026. Having navigated the justice system herself, she developed a deep understanding of both the challenges and potential for transformation within the system.

Her turning point came during her own time on probation, when she decided to invest in her future, trust her probation officer, and fully use the resources available to her. That experience inspired DeHeve to pursue a career focused on helping others walking a path she knows firsthand. With her degree, she intends to become a juvenile probation agent, using her unique perspective and education to help youth realize their trajectory can change the moment they choose themselves. This is her story. 

I had to explain my "why" for choosing this program.   

Everything I post comes from very recent experience being on the other side of this program. I know what probation looks like. I know what trauma and addiction feel like when they become part of your identity even though you never wanted them there. I know what it’s like to distrust every system and every professional because the people you thought were supposed to help you break that trust first.

I also know what it’s like to finally trust the right probation officer after years of fighting everyone around me. She watched me stay homeless, stay in addiction, continue catching felonies trying to survive and support a habit that started after my trust in medical professionals completely collapsed. Through all of that, she never gave up on me. Every felony judge I stood in front of gave me another chance with a stay of imposition because they saw something in me that I couldn’t see myself. 

Before addiction, I had never been in trouble a day in my life. Then, within about 36 hours, my entire life collapsed. I was arrested, homeless, lost my fiancé, lost my stability, and suddenly my vehicle was the only thing I had left. No family, no friends, and no support system.

What changed my life wasn’t punishment. It was finally having the right support around me. The right probation officer. The right treatment for co-occurring disorders. Long-term sober living. Outpatient treatment. Mental health care. People who were patient enough to understand that underneath everything, I wasn’t some lifelong criminal. I was a survivor with terrible coping skills, untreated trauma, mental health issues, and generational addiction patterns I never learned how to escape.

One of the most important moments for me was during sentencing after I had completed treatment and was starting to do better. The pretrial investigator had written an 11-page report about my story. Before sentencing, the judge told me three things I will never forget:

“I’ve never seen such a glowing investigation this long.”

“I believe you deserve second chances.”

“I hope I never see you in here again.”

I am now three years sober. I completed probation early after being given 10 years for a small drug possession charge. The biggest thing I learned through all of it was that I had to let someone help guide me before I could learn how to guide myself again. The ride there was brutal, but the ride back, I’m driving. 

That experience is the reason why I chose this degree in the corrections field, and I’ll graduate from the University of Pheonix with high honors as my way of thanking the people who never gave up on me. The ones who pushed me, pulled me, walked beside me, and reminded me I was capable of more than the life I was living at the time.

What motivates me now from this experience is the opportunity of going from convict to colleague. When I graduate, my goal is to work with D&O Community Corrections helping juveniles. I am proof that when these systems are done right, people can change. Sometimes the person who looks the most resistant is the person who just needs patience, trust, choices, dignity, and someone willing to ask why instead of immediately giving up on them. I want to be that person for someone in need.

Anyway, I know this was a lot, and probably way more transparent than I usually allow myself to be. But transparency and vulnerability play a big part to know the “why” behind my perspective.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone at D&O Community Corrections. Achieving this milestone took dedication from both of us, and your commitment to real support made all the difference. Thank you for offering the tools, trust, and resources that allowed me to turn my life around, pursue my education, and create a solid foundation for my future. I am forever grateful for the work we did together.

Check out our latest Dodge & Olmsted Community Corrections video featuring an interview with Shannon and her probation officer.