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On Saturday afternoon, Nicolas Vance had been out of Santa Rita County jail for less than a day after serving about a month for organized retail theft. He was stealing from stores to be able to afford drugs, but he got clean in prison.

He was standing on the sidewalk at 15th Street and Julian Avenue, with his friend, N-1, nearby. The two have known each other since Vance was 15 in his home state of Oregon. “He was actually my mentor in the whole game,” Vance said.

N-1, who is 44, said “I do drugs, but I do drugs to feel good. I like to party. Coke, ecstasy, mu

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