Ms D. was convicted of fraud and received a seven-year sentence. She herself admits that at some point she lost control of the situation. “I was overcharging debt with debt, I didn't know how to get out of it anymore,” narrates. For a long time, she lived in fear of when the police would ring. “When that happened, I told the officers that it was me who did it, and the verdict came with the onset... I was so relieved that it was over. No one believed it back then. “
He does not consider staying in prison easy. “Man is not himself there, he behaves differently to survive it. I didn't experience bullying there, but there were different women fighting there, yeah. So I just holed up in the bedroom and let them sort it out,” she says.
Yet he was important to her, to the realization that she never wanted to get into that situation again. From the beginning she worked, first in a workshop, later as a nurse, where she used her previous practice. Later, thanks to good results, she also got to work places with free movement outside the prison grounds, and finally she was able to drive home visits.
“I had freedom of movement, I went home every month for the weekend, then for more days. I had a low level of security, but that's not by itself, you have to work it out there,” he says.
However, in the course of serving her sentence, she was diagnosed with cancer. She underwent chemotherapy as well as several surgeries. The prison management, staff and medical staff treated her with the utmost friendliness and courtesy. Nowhere did she meet with condemnation. Through her ill health, she eventually applied for parole and the court granted her.
Life from scratch
After her release, she had nowhere to go. The home did not exist, the marriage still fell apart in the course of the performance, so did the relationships with the children.
“When they let me out of prison, I threw away the key to the canal house. Symbolically. There was nowhere to go back. “
She started completely from scratch. All she had was a plastic bag with which she left the prison gate. She stayed at a friend's house for the first two months, later at a hostel where she slept on a fishing chair. With the help of charities and a Christian fellowship, she quickly got back on her feet, secured normal housing and found employment as a saleswoman. She got lucky on the people around her.
“I always told everyone that I came from serving a sentence. No one condemned me. And that's the most important thing. Have at least one person who accepts you that you can talk to. “
New life role - grandmother to maternal
Upon her release, she learned that she would have a grandchild. However, her daughter was heavily addicted to both drugs and alcohol at the time. “I've seen her a couple of times completely covered up. It was clear that the baby boy was going to be taken away from her,” she recalls. Although she was undergoing treatment and had surgeries, she knew she wanted to take care of her grandchild. So she asked for custody.
“I couldn't live with the idea of him ending up in a children's home. “
After birth, the baby boy was placed in transitional foster care for about a year. And she drove to see him every weekend, as her health allowed. When her stable state of health as well as trouble-free behavior was demonstrated, he was entrusted to her.
Equipping a household for a small child was not easy, but other moms, neighbors, and friends helped. “We don't have luxury, we have older things, but we have it clean, pretty. And most importantly, we have each other. “ The only essential thing the little family lacked was the comfy, fold-out couch that Mrs. D. sleeps on. The old one was already falling apart and it was definitely not possible to spend the night on it. Thanks to the generous contribution from Jitka Chizzola, we were able to obtain it. Every year he donates 100 thousand crowns to support children and families who do not have it easy. Ms. D. is a client of the Probation and Mediation Service, and it was the probation officer who connected us and secured this assistance.
It is the three-year-old grandchild and the people around her that keep her not only afloat, but also in ensuring that no other similar overstep takes place.
“What am I most proud of in my life? “he ponders. “I was able to accept responsibility. And that I can live a proper life again. Now I just wish that health would last, I could continue to look after the grandchild and he was happy. “
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Presentation Offer at the 11th Annual Yellow Ribbon Run
Dear partners and supporters,
This year we would like to offer you the opportunity to present your organization and projects at the 11th Yellow Ribbon Run. As in previous years, this event creates a unique space for organizations, the public and the media to meet and share common values.
This year's edition will offer again attractive location with plenty of space for presentation booths as well as advertising areas in the start and finish area of the race. We expect approximately 1,000 runners and visitors, media participation and the emergence of photo and video outputs from the whole event.
Presentation options
- Presentation stand + banner for running barriers: 5 000 CZK
- Separate banner for running barriers: 2 000 CZK
Price includes rental of advertising space, advertising and production of a banner. It is also possible to use multiple banners, for example separately for an organization and for a specific project.
At the same time, your participation will support the implementation of the Yellow Ribbon Run event and you will have the opportunity to present your work to the general public and other partner organizations.
If you are interested in this offer, please contact us.
We would love for you to join us and help spread awareness about meaningful projects that have a positive impact on society.
Seven Women, Seven Stories of Hope: Invitation to Prague Castle
Just before Christmas Eve, several brave women, clients of the Probation and Mediation Service and active members of the Yellow Ribbon community, received an invitation to an extraordinary meeting with the President of the Republic Petr Pavlo and the First Lady Eva Pavlova.
With the idea of organizing a holiday audience The Office of the President of the Republic addressed the Director of the Probation and Mediation Service and our founder Gabriela Slováková. It was the long-term work of the Yellow Ribbon, as well as the volunteer and ambassadorial activity of Barbora Černošková, who sensitively opens the topic of people with a criminal past and the effects of punishment on their children, that captivated the presidential office. Thanks to this, this topic has come to the center of attention even at the highest state and social levels.
From 2024 onwards, it will gradually opens space for an open, substantive and at the same time humane debate on penal policy. A debate that makes sense — either thanks to the patronage of the President of the Republic or through discussions on the floor of institutions such as the Chamber of Deputies.
At the end of December, Seven women from all corners of the republic went down to Prague Castle. Each of them in the past, for various reasons, came into conflict with the law and passed the execution of punishment. Today he stands firmly on his own two feet. They were able to close this chapter of life and start again thanks to the professional support, patient work of probation officers, but also through their own determination.
All these women take care of their families and loved ones with dedication, but at the same time selflessly help even people they did not know before. They educate themselves, work on themselves, develop their projects and inspire their surroundings. Whether within organizations, community activities, or just as part of Yellow Ribbon. They prove that second chances make sense.
Source: https://pms.gov.cz/pmsayyruprezidentapetrapavla/
Registration for the 11th year launched - gift your loved ones with a voucher
Have you packed all the presents under the tree yet? If not, we have one for you. We have launched registration for the 11th annual Yellow Ribbon Run. Get Christmas started and give the starting fee to your loved ones. Download Gift Voucher directly from Stopnito.cz, print it out and then go to training together:)
And beware, register now buy for 500 CZK, from mid-February, then for 600 CZK.
Where do you get the voucher?
The route to it is a little more complicated, but we will guide you, you will definitely not get lost:
1) Go to the site Stopnito.cz and fill out the race application form.
2) In the Race category, select Gift Voucher.
3) Make the payment.
4) Download the voucher via the link shown.
Na We will meet the launch on June 11, 2026, again in Obora Hvězda in Prague.
Take advantage of the snow-free days, put on your sneakers and hooray for the track!