Lake County program teaches inmates to be better fathers

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) - Male inmates at a suburban Chicago jail have completed a program to help them be better fathers once they're released.

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said Tuesday the eight men are the first to graduate from the jail's Building Families Together - Fatherhood & Re-entry program.

The men attended classes for two hours a week, for 12 weeks. They learned about fatherhood, responsible adulthood, and re-entry to society from instructors that included a male mentor and a mental health professional. Inmates also had reading and writing assignments.

Curran says the course is part of an effort to reduce the number of inmates who end up returning to jail after they're released. He says the program links inmates with resources they need to be successful.