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Freeing their better selves
Jail programs prepare inmates to live productively
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by EMILY BARNES
Lt. Brandon Foster of the Charles County Sheriff's Office teaches a physical fitness and nutrition class as part of the STARS program at the Charles County jail in La Plata.
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Although inmate Karen Cella can't wait for her release from the Calvert County Detention Center, she's already envisioning what her return to the jail will look like.
Cella is one of the first graduates of the jail's Rehabilitation Empower Structure Transition program, and she said her goal is to use her newfound skill set to become a productive member of the community and one day return to the jail to counsel other inmates.
"I have more to offer society than I thought I did," she said.
Led into a jail classroom to discuss REST, Cella began speaking about her experience with reserve, but her excitement grew as she talked about the program. Cella said the detention center sent a memo to inmates telling them about the first-ever REST class. Interested in picking up some life skills, Cella signed up for it. And she wasn't sorry she did.
The topics covered during the classes run the gamut from spreadsheet software Excel to first aid and cognitive skills, but Cella said she was especially appreciative to learn more about computers. Now, Cella said, she's confident she can find a job.
"I knew how to turn a computer on," she said. "But I learned how to do spreadsheets and PowerPoint. I could even type."
While the REST program recently kicked off in Calvert County, a similar program in Charles County is graduating its fourth class. And at the St. Mary's County jail, a variety of programs help instruct inmates on topics from plumbing to the culinary arts. Volunteers and corrections workers both say these resources play a part in giving the inmates tools for success in the outside world.
And aside from the knowledge they gain, the inmates in the classes form valuable relationships with their instructors and with each other.
"Nobody makes you feel little about yourself," said Cella, 48.
Ready to make a change
Several years ago at the Charles County Detention Center in La Plata, Sgt. Tracy Williams decided that although the jail had a variety of programs, officials needed something to tie it all together. Williams said she wanted the program to be faith-based and to target a specific group of inmates: Minimum security offenders near their release dates and having records of good behavior. And, most important, who are ready to grow.
"The key words are: ‘I'm tired of this lifestyle. I'm ready to change, and this is what I want to do to make this happen,'" Williams said about interviewing prospective STARS students.
Since it started in November 2008, STARS has graduated 23 inmates, and only two of them have been rearrested, said officer Robert Taylor, a transitioning officer who helps run the program.
Many agencies participate in the STARS program, including the Charles County Public Schools, county health department, College of Southern Maryland and Maryland Workforce Exchange.
One of the topics is etiquette; inmates learn how to speak to a server, good table manners and how to tip. At the end of the session, the inmates and officers eat lunch together for practice.
"We serve them, and make them tell us which side of the plate the fork goes on and proper tipping," Williams said, adding it's often the inmates' favorite part of STARS.
In other sessions, students learn how to budget, write a resume and work on the computer. In one assignment, they created a PowerPoint presentation about a trade. One man talked about building a backyard playhouse, another about plumbing and another about doing electrical work.
Learning basic skills, things that most people "take for granted," is an important part of STARS, said Williams.
"A lot of these people have resorted to crime as a means of survival and acceptance. A lot don't have a secure family," she said.
This round of STARS added a time of reflection with John A. Lewis, the jail's chaplain, who would talk about how each lesson related to the Bible. Lewis' ministry, Point of Change, is an integral part of the STARS program. Point of Change coordinates all of the religious volunteers who support STARS, and Lewis teaches a weekly Bible study for the students.
"You lift the limits of possibilities when you include God," Lewis said.
Lewis added that he is very excited about the STARS program.
"Sometimes I just look up and smile knowing that the vision that Sgt. Tracy Williams had for so many years is now a reality," Lewis wrote in an e-mail. "This reality has unfolded as a program that allows officers, mental health professionals, concerned citizens, volunteers and a host of other entities an opportunity to assist inmates who would like to make a change in their lives inside and out."
In addition to the reflections segment, for the first time, the STARS program involved periodic one-on-one meetings with the inmates and featured an art therapy class.
Although the inmates ultimately are responsible for their own change, Williams said, local residents should remember that most of those incarcerated in the county jail will be returning to the community.
"These are our neighbors," she said.
Learning, from plumbing to cooking
Capt. Deborah Diedrich, who works at the St. Mary's County jail in Leonardtown, said to her, education is one of the most important components of an inmate's success upon release.
"Everybody needs a basic education," she said, adding that the jail offers a general educational development program — the high school diploma equivalent.
But the detention center also gives inmates the opportunity to learn about masonry, carpentry, plumbing and even cooking. According to Diedrich, the jail's culinary program is a favorite with those incarcerated.
"They really enjoy getting in there and cooking and cutting, learning how to use a knife. … Nothing's more fun than for them to take raw meat and turn it into a meal," she said, adding that the inmates then get to eat their creations.
The jail works with the College of Southern Maryland to offer such vocational courses. County public schools, St. Mary's County Literary Council and the Marcey House also participate in detention center programs.
It's exciting to see the jail inmates expanding their horizons, learning things other people take for granted, according to Diedrich. For example, many inmates lack computer skills that others use daily.
"To these people it's brand new. It opens up a whole new world to them," she said.
Volunteering time
At the Calvert County jail in Prince Frederick, Lewis and the jail's chaplain, Jerald Graham, have recently completed their first round of the REST program, graduating four inmates, and they are now starting up their second session. The detention center has offered life skills programs in the past, but this was the first time Point of Change organized REST.
While in Charles County, detention center officers and volunteers partner to organize STARS, the REST program is completely managed by Point of Change.
"We are 100 percent volunteer-run. We do not want to use the manpower of the facility," said Lewis.
The very first session went very well, with instruction on interviewing, anger management and cognitive skills, said Graham, who is also a Point of Change member.
One of the challenges of running programs inside a jail is that many of the inmates are only there for a short period of time, said jail administrator Milton Crump. Still, REST was a success, and Crump has hopes that it will grow in the future.
According to Graham, the students of REST were enthusiastic about the program.
"It definitely brings joy when inmates come to class excited and are excited to come to the next class," he said.
Trying again
Six inmates sit at a U-shaped group of tables, facing a white board and their instructor, Teresa Murray. As the class begins, Murray, an energetic woman who intersperses life tips with quotes and anecdotes, announces they are continuing to review 17 principles of achievement.
"So I don't have to see you again," quips Murray, who works in the Charles County jail's mental health department.
First lesson of the day: thought is powerful.
"Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right," Murray told the class.
She also discussed staying focused, teamwork, creativity and staying healthy.
During the class, Murray encouraged the inmates to interact and brainstorm, listing their ideas on the board. At several points in the session, Murray asks the inmates to write down goals for their release, encouraging them to be specific and confident.
"Stay out of jail and try to be more personable," said one inmate, describing his aspiration.
"Get rid of the try word," Murray responded.
"I will be more personable," the inmate said.
Other class participants said they wanted to continue their education, give back to society and spend more time with family.
Later, Murray and the inmates talked about forming good habits to achieve their goals; she told them to write down three things they wanted to do consistently, and the STARS students then shared their plans with the class.
Working out three times a week in 30-minute sessions. Going to church at least one time per week. Getting a job and keeping it. The inmates' strategies were simple, but vital for their success, Murray said.
"If we don't have a plan, we can get sidetracked," she said, adding that they should keep their notes.
The way the inmates spent their time in jail would affect the rest of their lives, she said.
In response, one inmate said going to jail might be a blessing in disguise for him.
"If I would have stayed out in the street, I'd probably be dead," he said.
Other students agreed that being in the jail was an opportunity. One said that it probably was a blessing, but he couldn't yet see how.
"The ‘aha' moment may come when you get out of here. But I promise it will come," Murray said, bringing up the example of Thomas Edison's struggle to create the light bulb.
"He failed over 1,000 times. Can you imagine if he gave up?"
"We'd all be in the dark," an inmate said.
