Submitted by Captain Gregory Flowers, Corrections Division

Jail tours, these are about as exciting as a dentist appointment for most. Corrections Officers do a fair share of tours throughout the year, from the Grand Jury to Community College Political Science and Criminal Justice classes. These tours are often routine for the day-to-day corrections professional, but other than legal obligations and just “show’n” the place off, nothing is really accomplished. We give tours to prospective Correction Officers during the testing process. This type of tour can be very useful at times, now and then a candidate knows that the job is not for them, before they are hired and trained. We have given tours to visiting dignitaries and community organizations to raise awareness of conditions and concerns about this aging facility; these tours are also very productive. Most of these folks are already aware of the problems and the overcrowding, and the tour lets them witness it first hand. The problems they see will not shock or surprise them; it’s what was expected.

Wouldn’t it be great if we gave a tour that really made a difference in the communities we serve, even if it’s a small one, just a difference? Corrections Officers really don’t get to impact the community, we only care for those removed from it. Corrections Officers have little opportunity to take a pro-active approach with the community like a police officer does, we know this is really not our roll. However, wouldn’t it be better for all if we could? For the Sheriff’s Office? The Corrections Division and the community?

In the spring of 2003 I met with the director of the Boy Scouts of America Juvenile Court Alternative Program (JCAP). This program works with youthful offenders (13 to 17) charged with misdemeanor offenses and is a recognized alternative to the juvenile probation system in Kane County. The director told me that JCAP is a ten-week program that designed to change the thinking, the skills and abilities of the juvenile offender. The program is broken up into “clusters” and each targets cognitive development. The JCAP wanted the Corrections Division to come up with a tour program to show these offenders what could be expected living day-to-day, as a detainee, in the correctional environment…aka, Jail. The groups would consist of 13-15 juveniles and 4-5 adult supervisors from JCAP. The director wanted the kids to see what jail life was really like, he wanted us to make an impression.

Corrections Officers, Sergeants and Lieutenants were excited about the idea. I was amazed at the response. These hardened corrections veterans were eager for such a program. Corrections Officers, for the most part, are a cynical sort and yet, I found a very strong interest among the officers. This program could give us a chance to have a positive and proactive impact on the community. I embraced this enthusiasm and developed a tour. Never having never done this before, we would have to revise the our ‘regular’ tour program through trial and error, but we were off and running.

Our first problem was safety, the second, ensure contraband was not knowingly, or unknowingly, brought into the facility. The third was clothing; we had to make sure all members of the tour were wearing clothing proper for the environment, no obvious gang colors and no “halter-tops”.

Mid-summer the first tour arrived, 13 Juveniles (which included 9 females) and 5 JCAP supervisors. We started the tour in Booking, much like an arrest would start. Just prior to the start of the tour all detainees were secured in their cellblocks, even trustees. detainees would not be taken from their cells while the tour was in progress, this would ensure the safety of the tour members. The tour members would be able to then observe the detainees in their cellblocks, from a secure setting. Upon entry into the facility we checked everyone with the metal detector wand, to ensure no weapons were brought into the facility. We then issued every tour member a lime green t-shirt, x-large only, to wear while on the tour. This was a “teaching” moment, we advised our tour members that jail life involves intrusive searches and clothing that we get to make them wear!

After everyone was searched and properly attired, we advised the tour members of the tour rules and the conduct that was expected from them. We explained the booking process in great detail, paperwork, fingerprints and photographs. The tour then proceeded upstairs and we went through each area section by section. Cellblock 151 was empty, and had just been painted, so we went into the cellblock. The kids were placed in the dayroom for an inside look, they thought it was small and uncomfortable…they were shocked by the fact that we controlled the TV (they asked were the remote was kept). After a brief chuckle I explained that the entire facility watched the same thing based on a schedule that is controlled by us. The tour members were then secured in the individual cells, with the gates secured, this was priceless, a few really understood the term incarceration at that moment.

The tour continued through the rest of the facility and ended in the assembly room. Once everyone was settled in we showed some videos of past incidents during which the CRT (Corrections Response Team – a jail version of SWAT) responded to quell a disturbance. We showed how bad things can get at a moments notice, and how they can be caught in something they didn’t start or understand. We showed how violent jail life can be, and to what extreme this Department will go to keep this facility secure. The tour was conducted on the 4-12 shift, and at one time or another most every member of the shift was involved in the tour and with its members. Several Officers and Sergeants then took questions from the tour members and the JCAP supervisors. Many things were discussed but what was most impressive to me was the professionalism of the corrections staff involved, the kids could tell the officers cared, it showed in the officers’ eyes and the kids could hear it in their voices. We talked about jail life, from the detainees’ point of view, and the Officers’, and we talked about choices and how certain choices can guarantee this type of life style, like it or not.