Sheriff To Spend Voluntary Week In Jail
Offline A sheriff has agreed to spend a voluntary week in jail here in Chicago. The idea came to him while at a Leadership Summit with members of the jail correctional staff.
What makes this story interesting to me? Maybe to you?
He claims that the idea may be "divinely inspired" since the meeting took place in a church and that is where the idea came to him.
WTF?? So there is no way the idea could have been triggered by spending time with the staff of the jail itself? Sounds like his motivation for claiming divine intervention could be his interest in faith-based counseling and education in correctional facilities...
WAUKEGAN, Ill. -- Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said his plan to spend a week looking at the jail he runs -- by living inside as an inmate -- "may have been divinely inspired."
Curran announced Tuesday he will spend a week inside the Lake County Jail in downtown
. In explaining his decision Wednesday, Curran said the idea came to him after attending a Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Church in
with members of the jail correctional staff."As I walked into Willow Creek I turned to my deputy chief
, and said, 'I am going to spend a week in the Lake County Jail.' I believe that because the idea came to me in church that it may have been divinely inspired," Curran said in a statement released by his office Wednesday.
Curran, 45, a former prosecutor elected sheriff in 2006, has shown a strong interest in jail and correctional programs since being elected, including visiting the notorious
State Penitentiary in Louisiana to gauge how faith-based education and counseling programs work there.Curran said he has four goals he hopes to achieve by spending a week at the jail.
"My first goal that I wish to discuss is my desire to find some additional introspection into our inmate programming," he said. "I believe that I can be a better sheriff by having a better understanding of jail operations from the perspective of an inmate."He said he will spend time in classrooms observing inmate programming, as well as spending "significant periods of time in conversation with inmates while I attempt to learn more about their issues.
"Curran said his second goal is "to bring attention to what we are doing in Lake County. I believe that we have the best-run jail in the nation and I hope that the Illinois Department of Corrections will consider what we are doing as well as others that are involved in the corrections.
"His third goal, according to the statement, "is to honor in some small way the volunteers that come in to the jail on a regular basis. Many of [the approximately 500] have enjoyed tremendous success in the private and public sectors yet they choose to come into the Lake County Jail for little to no money and no recognition. They choose to come to the Lake County Jail to minister to the people that many in society have forgotten or would rather spit on than choose to help. They choose to love these people that desperately need love. I will wear the inmate clothing and sleep in the jail in part to honor these servants as I am so humbled to serve in their presence.
"His fourth goal "is to draw attention to the need for rehabilitation programming and to awaken the collective consciousness of society," Curran said. "I still believe in locking up the real bad guys forever. However, the reality is that according to recent studies, virtually every person incarcerated in a jail in this country and approximately 97 percent of those incarcerated in prisons will eventually be released."
"I hope that my wearing inmate clothing and sleeping in the jail does draw attention to what we are doing here in Lake County because it is truly special," he said. I hope that hearts are softened, because people need second chances. Almost every inmate in this jail will be released and they will need jobs to support themselves."Curran was to begin his voluntary stay at the jail Wednesday.
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Any bets the sheriff won't be in the general population?
Bill Hybels (like all other megachurch leaders) annoys the crud out of me.
"I do this real moron thing, and it's called thinking. And apparently I'm not a very good American because I like to form my own opinions."
— George Carlin
Hallehluya! Bubbas prayers have been answered
If he's in jail he cant do his job.
Sounds like grounds for getting fired.
Having been a cop I can say that this is an absurd thing for him to do. He's the former prosecutor so I'd imagine there's more than one inmate who might have a bone to pick with him. Guaranteed, inmates will be shifted around after thorough investigation as to who this dumb-ass has put behind bars. He will likely be put in his own cell without a roomie or go to solitary to sleep. Unlike the rest of the inmates he will have 24 hr. protection with at least two deputies at his side at all times. Not like he's going to really experience what life is like as an inmate. He's not going to know the fear that some may live with that he might get shanked over some idiotic beef with another prisoner. Nor will he have to worry about picking up a bar of soap in the showers, likely he will be showering by himself. Most of the inmates will leave him alone for a number of reasons. They don't want to associate with a cop and risk being tagged a snitch, or piss off another inmate who may have been put in jail by the sheriff when he was prosecutor, or simply because they don't like cops and won't want to have anything to do with him anyway. There will be those who think they might shave some time off their sentences by participating in this "program". As far as his rehab program is concerned, studies have shown faith based programs are not effective and in fact result in higher recidivism rates than secular programs. http://www.mediatransparency.org/storyprinterfriendly.php?storyID=135 http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=pr&page=NewsArticle&id=8887&security=1002&news_iv_ctrl=1241 http://www.atheists.org/ftpfiles/AANEWS/aanews00.915 In addition, many of these programs take advantage of the inmates and their families by making them pay higher rates for things like phone calls and goods. Having associated with jail deputies for many years they all point out that inmates will volunteer for just about any program for the perks they often offer, and they will happily perform for the program officials convincingly. Once out, their recidivism rates are not any better than those who did not go through the program. Curran is just another jeebus freak who thinks haysoos is the answer to all the world's ill, and not a particularly smart one at that."Erecting the 'wall of separation between church and state,' therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society." Thomas Jefferson
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Sorry about the lack of paragraphs in the above. Don't know what happened. After I finished typing I found I had to log back on the site and this is what I ended up with.
"Erecting the 'wall of separation between church and state,' therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society." Thomas Jefferson
www.myspace.com/kenhill5150
They'd have to be utterly stupid to fuck with him, seeing as a week later he'll be out (and technically still be running the place while he's in ) and anyone who does will be in serious trouble. He also won't have to deal with any corrections officers who might mistreat inmates under normal circumstances - unless they want to get fired on the spot.
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Inmates (ok, not all of them) are not like other people, someone will be more concerned with the kudos they get from shanking the idiot. I'm sure he thinks that god will be watching over him. He, dude, how about you take it one step further and have the lord look over you?
How can not believing in something that is backed up with no empirical evidence be less scientific than believing in something that not only has no empirical evidence but actually goes against the laws of the universe and in many cases actually contradicts itself? - Ricky Gervais
They're in jail. How smart can they be?
Being a sheriff, he's not going to get special treatment at all. Nooooo.
If there was to be any validity to this they'd bring someone in from outside and make sure none of the staff knew about it, and/or he'd go to some other gaol where the staff won't recognise him.
Organised religion is the ultimate form of blasphemy.
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Andy, take it from your buddy Barny, "Nip it in the bud before you find yourself dropping a bar of soap and getting NIPPED IN THE BUTT"
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This sounds like a great way for that sheriff to convince a large part of the population of the merits of a piece of his political program. Which, reading the rest of the post, does not sound bad at all! The volunteers will be happy, the wardens may feel valued, the sheriff will get a good, up-close-and-personal idea about how the prison works, and he seems to have things to say about the system itself too!
This is a good idea, and frankly, I do not even care if this sheriff genuinely beliefs "God" inspired him or if he simply made that bit up without really believing it.
Unforturnately, the sheriff won't get the raw and gritty version of the up-close-and-personal view of the jail. He'll get the version that the rules and regs dictate. IF there is abuse he won't see it. He'll have so many deputies around him when he talks to the inmates they may not be all that willing to talk about certain things. All the deputies will be doing everything according to the book.
Don't forget, he's doing this to push through faith-based prison programs not programs based on sound science. So I doubt that he cares about how the prison is run, he's just trying to push haysoos into the government's business.
Just another day in the life of fundies trying to take over every aspect of life.
"Erecting the 'wall of separation between church and state,' therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society." Thomas Jefferson
www.myspace.com/kenhill5150
as my name indicates, i actually do work in a jail. i can't speak for policy in chicago, but i know how things are run in my jail. people who come to jail who have worked in any capacity of law enforcement are segregated. period. we hide them in a single cell (in my facility we often have 3 in a cell), in the infirmary. even if the person hasn't worked in law enforcement/corrections in like 20 years, they are segregated. why? BECAUSE IF THEY ARE HOUSED IN THE GENERAL POPULATION THEY ARE BEATEN AND/OR KILLED. this man is a fool. he should never be allowed to do this exercise in religious stupidity. and even if he is allowed access to talk to inmates, they won't talk to him. they'll assume he's there to try to dig up dirt on them to add more charges. even though alot of criminals are truely stupid, many of them are simply predatory, and it takes brains to be a predator.
I'd rather be a moral atheist than an amoral theist.
It is obvious he is not fit to be sheriff and should be put on leave immediately
People who think there is something they refer to as god don't ask enough questions.
Sounds like quite a bit of work for those that work at the jail, as a matter of fact it sounds like a big pain in the ass
If he comes out of this without a scratch, I am sure he will have no one to thank (at least publicly) but 'god'
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you're right, it's a pain in the ass. It's a good thing it's a rare event. lol