Articles & News

May 21, 2008

Program aims to help parolees

By TESA CULLI, tesa.culli@register-news.com

INA — For a portion of the inmates getting ready to go back out into society a new program on lifestyle redirection has offered an important commodity — hope.

“I now have hope,” five time offender Ed said. “I was hurting other people around me ... I’ve started learning to love myself. ... I always thought life was a punishment. Now I realize I have choices every day.”

The Reentry Summit held at the facility is part of a larger first-time program in Illinois called Lifestyle Redirection which endeavors to teach inmates how to succeed in society and address recidivism.

“The recidivism rate is something like 70 to 75 percent,” Paul, a first-time offender said. “For us, it’s either 0 percent or 100 percent. You either stay out or you come back.”

Paul Carlson, the District 5 Parole Supervisor, spoke with all those who have become involved in the program since it began earlier this year.

“You know the rules of parole; you have the list,” Carlson told the 100-plus inmates at BMRCC. “There are things you do, choices you make, which will determine if you are successful. Don’t put yourself in situations to fail. ... You may be standing on the corner having a good time with a bunch of the guys, a squad car comes by and stops, and one of the guys has drugs. Guess who’s going to jail? Understand that you will be searched. Understand that you will have to report to your parole agent. Understand you will can’t use drugs — period. Understand that you can’t be around places where drugs are sold. You can’t lose weight hanging around a Dairy Queen and you can’t stay clean hanging around crack houses. You won’t stay out of here hanging around with the same people who got you here in the first place.”

Carlson said one of the biggest ways to determine if someone will succeed after prison is their willingness to change.

“What you were doing before obviously wasn’t working or you wouldn’t be here,” Carlson said. “You have to change. You keep running into the wall doing the same thing. ... Just change direction and walk through a door. I’m here to tell you that change works, it really does. ... You have to take control of your life. There’s no difference between you and I. The only differences are the decisions that were made.”

In addition, once inmates are out on parole, they have to have courage, Carlson said.

“I’m not talking about the courage you think you had for going out and doing something to someone who couldn’t fight back,” Carlson said. “I’m talking about the courage it takes to stand up and say no. ... You have to be able to do that, and it’s not going to be easy. I wish it was.”

Greg Eubanks, counselor at BMRCC, explained that those inmates who participate in the Lifestyle Redirection program attend a 12-week course every day for two hours and focus on items such as men’s issues, criminal thinking and anger management. The summit also included social service agencies with information on how those on parole can tap into the services which help provide clothing, jobs and housing.

“There’s a whole new philosophy coming out of the state now,” Eubanks said. “The larger program is broken into smaller segments. Track 1 is the beginning program that is introduced when they hit the door. Then there’s the Lifestyle Redirect, and Job Prep where they can get time on the computer and help with building resumes. There’s also the Parole School which meets two times. It’s set up to explain what is expected when they’re out on parole. Each program intermingles with the other programs and are only successful with teamwork with the education and vocational programs.”

Charles, an inmate who is now a peer presenter with Lifestyle Redirect, said he’s never experienced a program that is as “honest.”

“I’m a repeat offender,” Charles admitted. “Prior to this, I never got in no programs. When the opportunity presented itself, I saw the plusses. I been in lots of joints in Illinois and I never heard of anything like Lifestyle Redirect.”

Charles said in the years prior to the program, he blamed society, his upbringing, what he didn’t have and the system for his being in jail.

“For once, I had to honestly look at myself,” Charles said. “I was under the impression that my self esteem was way up here. But I found out, it was really down here. When you live a certain way for a long time, you begin to think that’s the norm.”

Paul, at 43 years old, said he also learned a lot about himself and how his alcoholism was getting in the way of staying out of jail.

“I felt like I had wasted my whole life,” Paul said. “I had to deal with my victims, and things I had choose not to think about. ... They threw us a lifeline, and are giving us the tools. Now it’s up to us to decide what to do.”

For Robert, getting away from his former associates that encouraged his drug dealing will be harder.

“I sold drugs, and was living in the projects,” Robert said. “Me and my family were tight, but none of them were working. I sold to take care of my family and they wanted it that way. I felt like I had no choice. ... I still think about my family ... but now I’m willing to put myself forward in a better way. I can see my family differently.”

Jim got his wakeup call that something in his life had to change when he woke up one morning in the Cook County Jail and didn’t remember how he got there.

“I have two reasons to be involved in this program and any program I can get in,” Jim said. “I’m here because of a direct result of my alcoholism and like most alcoholics, at the time I was in complete denial that I even had a problem. ... You can lead a pretty minimal life and not come back to prison, but I’m at the age now where I think about what would someone say at my funeral? Would they think, this guy lost a lot of opportunities or this guy threw his life away. My other reason is my three daughters. In our background, it’s not normal for dad to be in prison. I’ve embarrassed and shamed them by being in prison.”

Jim said he has written to his children about the programs.

“One of my daughters wrote to me and said, ‘I’m proud of you,’” Jim said.

“I didn’t feel like I deserved it. But, it’s also motivation. I want to be worthy of my kids and I want them to know I’ve changed. ... Someday I want to be sure to teach them that you can make positive changes even when you’ve made a very bad decision.”