New Lake County jail class inspires incarcerated fathers

Alex Espinoza is a Lake County jail inmate, held on $1 million bail on charges, accused of being a fugitive from justice and resisting a peace officer, but he has big plans after his release.

"I want to do better this time," Espinoza, 23, told a roomful of fellow inmates. "I want to do better for my kids; my daughters. I want to have my own company."

His statement during the new Fatherhood and Re-entry class at the jail in Waukegan was met by brief silence as the others in the room thought about the comment and slowly nodded in agreement.

The program is designed to provide the guidance and support inmates need to help change their lives and rebuild the families torn apart by incarceration. The goal is to inspire inmates and their families to overcome adversity by using family and inspirational words to help inmates see their self worth, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said.

"We offer programming and re-entry classes to all of our inmates to reduce recidivism by utilizing cognitive behavior therapy, identifying risky behaviors, and linking inmates with resources they need to successful re-entry into the community," Curran said.

The two-hour weekly class, which is taught by "Building Families Together," runs for 12 weeks.

Each session incorporates lessons on fatherhood, responsible adulthood, and re-entry into the world. Inmates must actively participate in reading and writing assignments and group discussions involving critical thinking.

Jennifer Witherspoon, the jail's chief of programming and diversion, said the program is based on the Fatherhood Initiative that is used across the country and the classes are similar to those presented in Kane County and the Illinois Department of Corrections. She said the Lake County classes were tailored to fit local needs.

For example, inmates were not allowed to touch human volunteers in the department of corrections, Witherspoon said. However, inmates in the Lake County class are allowed to have more human interaction by shaking or holding hands to pray together.

"We are trying to think outside the box when it comes to recidivism and classes like this," Witherspoon said. "We have been doing the same thing for so long and kept getting the same results. So, we figured it was time for a change."

When inmates successfully complete the class, they receive a certificate they can present to a judge before sentencing. It shows the judge the inmate is on a path for a positive change in their life. Participants also requested a keepsake coin they could have after being released from jail to remind them of what they learned, Witherspoon said.

The class is taught by Keith Goins and Sherry Green, a husband and wife team who talk to inmates about how to avoid returning to jail and push to inspire them to stay out of jail. Green taught similar classes in Kane County and the department of corrections.

"Here, we want to elevate you, bring you up and get you to another level," Green told the class. "We see you as men who want to be elevated. So we are here to elevate you and empower you."

The reactions from inmates to the class have been outstanding, Witherspoon said, and have forced the jail to offer a second session every Monday.

She said inmates are screened to ensure their court cases will not prevent them from being available to attend all 12 weeks of classes. Also, inmates must not have any history of violence toward other inmates or staff members.

It's too soon to tell how effective the program is - the first classes began earlier this year with eight jail inmates who "graduated" in May.

However, Rodrick R. Linnear, a graduate of the first class who remains incarcerated in Lake County on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse, left behind a letter that said "this class is so phenomenal, I'm able to use it in many different areas in my life."

"You two (Goins and Green) took the time to see a problem, brainstorm a solution, and make the solution known to the individual with the problems," the 36-year-old Gurnee man wrote in the letter. "For that I'm very thankful."