CAPCIL/Sheriff’s Office launch new Life Skills program in Logan County

 

[May 13, 2021] 

The Logan County Board’s Planning and Zoning/Economic Development Committee received a report at their May 5 meeting about the progress of the Life Skills Program at the Logan County Safety Complex.

This program was started by the Sheriff’s Office and Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois (CAPCIL) for inmates at the Safety Complex. The program offers life skills coaching which includes parenting classes. The intent of the program is to provide detainees with an opportunity to try to change their ways and their path.

In January, the board voted to provide $2,500 from the community support line item for the pilot program.

After discussion with Planning and Zoning and Economic Development Committee Chairman David Hepler, Invenergy, who is developing a wind farm project in the county, expressed interest in supporting the program. Invenergy decided to provide $2,500 in matching funds for the program.

The program began this spring. CAPCIL Chief Executive Officer Alison Rumler-Gomez said the training that is available through the Life Skills coaching targets behavioral changes.

CAPCIL recently sent the board a report on how the program is going. The report lists eight detainees who are in progress with the program, one who completed the program and is in treatment and three detainees who have been released.

There are also several highlights listed in the report. For example, with the “in progress” detainees, the coaches have made successful efforts to connect families on the outside with additional CAPCIL resources. Of the eight in progress, four out of the six who have family in the CAPCIL service have connected outside families to CAPCIL resources.

Three of the detainees have been connected to a variety of substance abuse counseling resources.

Three have been learning more parenting skills and improved relationships with DCFS.

Three have researched educational opportunities available through the Department of Corrections. They are looking into pursuing a bachelor’s degree during incarceration.

Two of the three detainees who have been released are continuing coaching services with CAPCIL post-release.

In collecting research from the jail staff, the detainees participating in the program are learning and gaining perspective and self-control.

Close-out information is collected for detainees once the participant has “completed.” When they have “completed” the program, it means the detainees have either been transferred to DOC, been released and discontinued services, or withdrawn by missing three sessions with the coach.

As of now, no participant has withdrawn from participation. CAPCIL’s goal is to keep an “in-progress” group of 10. CAPCIL is currently working to back-fill the opening. Because of the overpopulation of the facility, the group sessions were suspended.

However, through resourceful efforts, a new meeting space has been constructed. The hope is to start convening the group sessions sometime in the month of May.

Committee members said they were encouraged by the successes of the program and those who are continuing with coaching after being released.

Hepler said Logan County is the only one doing a program like this in a structured way right now. He would like to see the program be long term.

[Angela Reiners]