Alum Michael Martin a Success After Overcoming Addiction, Crime

THINK PROGRESS -- But Martin’s story doesn’t end there. He entered a rehabilitation center and eventually got clean. He earned a Master’s degree in English from San Francisco State University and published numerous articles and short stories. He began counseling other addicts and local youth, and was even honored for his work by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown in 2004. In many ways, Martin is the model for a rehabilitative approach to criminal justice. And yet, a decades-old scarlet letter remains permanently affixed to his name: “felon.”