Lake County program for ex-offenders has a big job to do

A patchwork of government and social service agencies in Lake County created a program just over a year ago to help ex-offenders find what many believe is the No. 1 factor in avoiding further crime: steady employment.

Through education and counseling, the Lake County Repatriate Demonstration Project has sown the seeds of success by placing 34 men and women in jobs.

But the program operates mainly on volunteer effort and a shoestring budget. In the next few weeks officials will ask the county for money to expand it.

Supporters believe they can make a strong argument, even in times when money is tight.

The state spends more than $1.2 billion a year on corrections, according to the Pew Center for Public Safety, and more than half of those released from prison wind up back behind bars within two years.

It costs much less, supporters say, to invest in the Lake County program and turn ex-offenders into productive members of society.

"Initiatives like the Lake County Repatriate Demonstration Project have a direct impact on reducing crime," State's Attorney Michael Waller said. "The surest way to cut recidivism is to prepare people for and help them obtain jobs."

A new life

Debbie Hoem, a senior probation officer for the 19th Judicial Circuit, said the effort is modeled on an Illinois Department of Employment Security program to get jobs for people leaving state prisons.

The local effort targets people who have been in the Lake County jail and those in work release or on probation, she said.

People in the program are given 15 days of counseling to identify individual skills and strengths, and instruction on attitude, responsibility and decision-making.

An additional 12 hours of training on work etiquette, interviewing skills, employer expectations and computer use follows before a participant actually heads out to seek work.

A criminal record can be a huge obstacle to getting work, Hoem said, but no more severe than the mind-set that produced the criminal record in the first place.

"We screen our applicants foremost for the desire to make a change in their lives," she said. "And then design a program around the specific needs that must be met to produce a change."

Warren Thomas, director of Lake County Second Chance, said the program's classes at the College of Lake County's Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan begin by addressing the defeatist state of mind many ex-offenders carry.

"We tell them they have to get over the past, that the past does not have to be their future," Thomas said. "At the same time, we tell them they are not a product of their environment, they are a product of their choices."

While stressing better choices, Thomas and the other instructor try to find out what each person needs; then a program is designed to meet those needs.

"Drug and alcohol counseling, reading skills or the lack of a high school diploma are the things we address most often," Thomas said. "We work with a number of different groups that address each need a person may have."

After completing training, graduates are guided by a case manager toward jobs with employers who have agreed to hire program participants when they can.

Follow-up support for both the participant and the employer is carried on for six months to help both adjust to issues that might arise.

Thomas said the jobs are primarily in manufacturing and sales, but there is a constant effort to bring more employers into the fold.

David Harris of Waukegan is one of 10 people who recently completed training. He is eager to try out his new life.

"This was a great opportunity for me and they got me on the right track," Harris said. "I have my resume complete and I am confident I can sell myself to an employer."

A search for funds

Program backers have a sales job of their own coming up as they approach the county board for funding.

The program now is funded only by a $50,000 in-kind grant from CLC that covers classroom space and materials for four training sessions a year, with no more than 20 participants in each.

All those working with the program are on loan from the agencies that employ them and can only devote a few hours a month. The case manager is a part-time CLC employee.

Organizers are looking in various places for funding, including the possibility of applying for grants.

The county, however, remains one of the most promising options. But the next budget must be approved by July 1, so officials will have to work fast.

"We are not asking for a specific amount or proposing specific enhancements," Hoem said. "We want to work with the board to use whatever resources they can provide the most effective way."

Even if no additional money is found, the program will go on for at least the immediate future. But organizers say they would like to use county money to hire a full-time coordinator. Eventually, they'd like to see the program turned over to the county entirely.

County Board Chairwoman Suzi Schmidt said she has not yet met with representatives of the program, but likes what she has heard so far.

"One of our main priorities in funding the courts is reducing recidivism," she said. "If they have a program that works, it is something we will want to look at in terms of providing some funding."