Lake Co. sheriff wants to 'change the way we look at prisoners'

Spending time behind bars can change the way a person looks at the world, but such is not the case for Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran.

In his third day of self-imposed imprisonment in his own jail, Curran said Friday he is more convinced than ever that more must be done to rehabilitate people the government locks up.

"We have to change the way we look at prisoners, and I am willing to stake my political career on that," Curran said. "We cannot keep our boots to the necks of people in custody and expect them to respect society when they are no longer in custody."

Since entering the jail on Wednesday, Curran has been waking before dawn with the other inmates, attending classes with them and eating the food they are provided.

Most importantly, he said, he has been listening to them assess the quality of their lives.

"The people I have talked with appreciate the fact that we are giving the tools to make their lives better," Curran said. "I am calling on all other jails and prisons to follow suit."

Curran said the Lake County jail has distinguished itself among jails by providing education and self-improvement instruction for inmates, much of it faith-based.

Society gains when prisoners are reformed, Curran said, because they leave custody and do not commit other crimes.

He said his goal was to reach the level of prisoner rehabilitation found at the Louisiana state prison in Angola, once the most violent prison in the country.

Through the infusion of religion, Curran said, Angola is now a model for crime-free, peaceful institutions.

Curran said he was among a group of officials who visited Angola, and said it is a peaceful institution mainly because of the preponderance of religious instruction.

"I attended services there that were among the most uplifting I have encountered; prisoners hugged us at the end with genuine love," Curran said. "It is time for the state of Illinois to bring itself to that level."

Curran said most Illinois jails and prisons do not spend enough attention to changing the lives of those in their care and become the so-called "monster factories" where people come out meaner than they went in.

"The gangs run the prisons in this state," Curran said. "Inmates here have told me about how they smell, how they are dangerous and violent."

He called upon state government leaders to follow the example of Lake County and reach for the goal of Angola in rehabilitation.

"I know there have been many people in state government who have been to Angola and have been impressed with what has been done," Curran said. "My question is; if it is so good, why is it not being done here?"

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=229025">Lake County sheriff begins self-imposed jail sentence <span class="date">[08/20/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>