Pinckneyville Correctional Center Showcases Society's Options to Inmates
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ This year in June and December the Pinckneyville Correctional Center has welcomed speakers from around the state to help motivate and encourage inmates to make the right choices when they are released from the center and re-introduced to the public. Wednesday's re-entry summit kept its promise to bring motivating and informed speakers to the Center.
120 inmates attended the summit, all of which were 6 months to 1 year from their outdate. Those in for longer terms were not barred from the program, but the summit has shown to have a more immediate effect on those whose outdates were not far from the date of the program.
The Re-Entry Summit was a project developed by the Illinois Department of Corrections in Springfield.
The mission of the Department of Corrections is to protect the public from criminal offenders through a system of incarceration and supervision which securely segregates an offender from society, assures offenders of their constitutional rights and maintains programs to enhance the success of the offenders' re-entry into society. The summit, in hopes of keeping inmates from becoming repeat offenders, addresses road blocks offenders face with finances, economics, spirituality, mental and physical well-being, employment, housing and education.
Coordinated by Tracy Maue and Charles Dintelman, the summit had a number of key speakers to address these problems directly with the inmates.
Paul Carlson, a parole supervisor, began the summit with a speech about personal appearance and confidence. He spoke about how they should conduct themselves to make a good impression on future employers and during parole hearings to more successfully show that they are ready for the job or that they deserve the freedoms of regular society.
Inmates were divided into five groups where speakers could interact more directly with the inmates and encourage more participation. The inmates, who all volunteered to take part in the summit, were free to ask questions about the various topics that were made available by the attending vendors. Starting at 8:30 a.m., speakers and sessions took place until 2:40 p.m.
The Illinois Secretary of State's Office sent a speaker to help inform inmates of how to receive a driver's license after their release. Mantracon sent a speaker to show inmates how to apply for jobs and conduct themselves in the workplace.
SIU also had a speaker at the summit with information for inmates about higher education post release. Jeff McGoy, a 1998 graduate from SIUC in speech communication, acted as the university's admissions representative to give inmates information about applying to college and what SIU had to offer.
"I'm here to motivate these guys to follow their dreams and that education can help them," McGoy said, "I present to them what the university has to offer in terms of majors and financial help. I also share my personal experiences while at SIU to make a connection with them."
One inmate, James Irons, was very grateful for the Re-Entry Summit and the benefits of any program offered by the Department of Corrections.
"This program strongly encourages positive change," Irons commented, "But you have got to want change to be able to accept it.
"The program will be able to help me get back on my feet when I get out, help me keep employed, and help me stay on the straight line."
Irons said that his children, a son and daughter, were also important to him and that he hoped that future summits would offer information for successful parenting; not only for himself, but for future participants in the summit who had children important to them.
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