The Power of One: Helping Inmates Help Inmates

“For I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:36)

One of the least mentioned of the Corporal Works of Mercy, which are based on the gospel of Matthew, is that of caring for the imprisoned.  Today that also means preparing them for life when they return to society at the end of their terms.  A number of factors work against inmates when they walk out of the prison gate, including lack of clothing, food, and affordable housing.  But they also find it extremely difficult to get jobs – essential to avoid reoffending – because they lack the education and employable skills.  According to the Pew Center on the States more than 40% of offenders return to prison within three years.

The National Reentry Resource Center states that only 65 percent of prisoners have a high school diploma or GED, compared to 82 percent of the general population.  An estimated 19 percent of adult inmates are illiterate and 60 percent are functionally illiterate, according to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Scholarly studies have shown that prisoners who receive education have both a lower rate of recidivism and a higher rate of post-release employment than those who don’t. But for years prisoner education was a low priority for governments, and funding for in-prison programs scarce.

It was into this space that Mike Schuette stepped in.

In his early 20s, Mike started teaching prison inmates to read. After one, then many more began to learn and understand he was filled with an unquenchable hope, a hope that infused his volunteer work ever since. After decades of volunteer literacy efforts Mike brought his passion for helping inmates read to his volunteer work at Catholic Charities of Southern Illinois (CCSIL).   

He first worked to engage more volunteers in tutoring.  But faced with the problem of getting tutors past security in the prisons he developed the “Inmates Helping Inmates” program, in which literate inmates are trained by community colleges to teach illiterate inmates how to read.  Since its inception “Inmates Helping Inmates” has helped thousands greatly improve their reading skills.

Mike helped expand “Inmates Helping Inmates” beyond literacy classes to programs that support inmates in preparing for their re-entry into society.  By acquiring their GED and taking college courses these individuals have a much better chance of getting jobs that pay a livable wage and a lower incidence of recidivism. Mike is now working with CCSIL, the Catholic Conference of Illinois, and state legislators to expand “Inmates Helping Inmates” into all of the state’s prisons.  

Mike Schuette is a living demonstration of the power of one person to make a material change in the lives of others and of the transformative power of Hope.

Comments

[Erzade]

"How do you exlaipn Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers? How do you exlaipn millionaire drug dealers . . ."That's easy: Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers participated in ponzi scams, just like our government is doing with the SS and medicare. Hubris and willful ignorance keep the participants going until the house of cards come crashing down when there was a run on their "banks." As for millionaire drug dealers . . . why do other millionaires keep working? Because (1) a innate drive for more accomplishment; (2) inflation makes millions quite insufficient for retirement; a million-dollar house a couple years ago would have cost only $30k back in 1975; someone retired on that $30k at 40 years old would be sh*t out of luck in his/her 70's, just like anyone who retire early with a million dollars today while still young.The way the game is set up does not only affect the poor, but also the rich. It's just a matter of what is the least tiring way of making a lot of money, which essentially lays claim to other people's labor. In other words, how to set up an exchange favorable to oneself; Isn't that what everyone is trying to do? It's a feasible system in a free market because every person's preference is different. When violence and coercion is introduced into the system, pushing the boundaries of legal thievery is not exactly new . . . just ask anyone who specializes in political lobbying.As for "millions of savages" using our welfare institutions, the problem is the welfare state. The "savages" pay rent, and that's what pays for the property taxes, which in turn fund the institutions. Without the rent paying "millions of savages," even more real estates would be abandoned in the cities, which in turn would have long bankrupted the welfare institutions. The very idea that a person "belongs" to a nation-state is anathama to invidual freedom; I certainly hope you don't consider yourself a piece of porperty belonging to the US government or the government of whatever state that you happen to reside. People have legs, and they tend to be attracted towards places of economic opportunity. Without the gold-rushing 49er's, California wouldn't have been settled as a state. Hundreds of thousands of youths in upstate New York migrate to New York City every single year. Government intervention to keep people to where "they belong", like George III did with his edict about colonists not moving beyond the Appallachians, is inevitably costly and futile.

[Muhsin]

I agree with you,I work for one of the prisons and we have more then our share of mnlealty ill that are on meds if they refuse to take them for what ever reason (didn't feel like going to med call,don't want them today) there's nothing that can be done (it's suppose to be if they miss 3x's in a row they get cut off untill seen by the doctor again)so we're left to deal with an unstable person.Temps get nothing for all thir dedication and hard work,only to be laid off when using up their alloted hours(1,520),with the voluntering of overtime which we have a lot of (to give us permanent officers a much needed break,as overtime is not mandatory for them,they use up their hours quickly,then get layed off, not having a chance to become a permanent office, in the mean time more temps are being hired to fill the first temps positions, it is rediculas to spend the money to send people to the academy giving them specialized training only to lay them off and then start all over again with new people.If it weren't for our temps we'd be up a creek whith out a paddle,(I've worked with only me another permanent officer on duty with the rest being temps)and I must say that temps deserve the same benifets as permanent officers (or an equivalent),and most deserve to become permanent officers.The legislate need to talk to the correctional staff that work side by side with inmates and get the real deal on things instead of makeing decisions with out knowing.