Bringing out inmates' tender side
Providing love, companionship and friendship to someone in need and getting the same in return. It's what we should expect in a civilized society.
Look no farther than animal shelters and jails and you'll find plenty of examples of troubled and lost souls in need of some TLC.
A program launched last week by the Lake County sheriff's office and animal control department pairs homeless animals with some inmates to offer such a chance and, in doing so, might have some interesting possibilities that are worth study elsewhere in the suburbs.
Under the arrangement, some jail inmates can volunteer their time to clean, care for and play with dogs and cats living in the animal control facility in Grayslake while the animals await adoption.
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran calls it a win-win situation for everyone involved.
"These dogs are in desperate need for socialization. The inmates are providing that. In turn, the dogs show unconditional love for the inmates. Both are blessed in the process," he told the Daily Herald's Vince Pierri.
There are some restrictions on who can participate. The inmates' service is voluntary and not part of their sentence. They can have no pending cases against them, no history of violent crime and no orders of protection.
On the first day of the program, two female inmates worked with 10 pit bull puppies that were seized from a Round Lake Park home last month. The dogs were living in filthy, flea-infested conditions when they were picked up.
The puppies couldn't contain their excitement at being the center of attention; the inmates said the experience was rewarding and made them feel like they were making a difference. One said she'd like to volunteer at an animal shelter after she serves her monthlong sentence for theft.
The forgotten and scorned, each marginalized by society, brought together for a few hours that in some small way might change their lives.
Curran said he got the idea for the cooperative program while watching "The Oprah Winfrey Show" when it featured something similar done by a police agency.
It's in line with his call for jails and prisons to change the way they look at prisoners. He has said those institutions must provide a moral rehabilitation to change the lives of those in their care to end the so-called "monster factories" from which people come out meaner than they went in.
That's a noble idea, but one that surely won't happen overnight.
As for creating more programs to pair the right inmates with any of the hundreds of dogs and cats living in shelters?
That may be something we can do right now.