By: Danni Eickenhorst, Midland Division
A parolee waits his turn to go through and speak with service providers at Tuesday's Summit of Hope.
On Tuesday February 21, the St. Clair County Summit of Hope was held at the East St. Louis Salvation Army. The Summit provided nearly 200 parolees the opportunity to take advantage of services and resources to help them reintegrate into society following a stint in state or federal prison.
The event connected registered offenders with legal and medical services, educational and career opportunities, spiritual resources, tax assistance, mental health providers, substance abuse counseling, veterans counseling and even free haircuts. In total, 38 organizations participated in the event.
Volunteers escort a parolee through the process at Summit for Hope.
“I founded this summit in 2009,” said Paul Carlson, of the Illinois Department of Corrections, “With 37 years of law enforcement experience under my belt, I saw a lot of people coming to a fork in the road and choosing the wrong path, and I thought about how we could put them back on the right path – transforming them from individuals who rely on our tax dollars to be housed, into tax-paying citizens who can contribute.”
U.S. Attorney Steve Wittington, the top federal prosecutor presiding over Southern Illinois spent the morning at the event, visiting with parolees and those offering services – even stopping for a haircut by the students from Cosby’s Barber College. At the commencement of the day’s activities Mr. Wittington addressed the crowd, “We sincerely want you to succeed. I don’t take any pleasure throwing people in prison day after day. We cannot keep this cycle going, so we have presented you with an opportunity that we might not see you again – except perhaps as a productive citizen, in greeting, at your workplace.”
Raechelle Young, a Program Coordinator for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois underscored the importance of the event, “When you’re coming out of prison, you can’t get an I.D. without a birth certificate. You can’t get a birth certificate without an I.D. When you apply for a job and need to provide proof of identification, and you only have a prison I.D. card, there is a huge stigma that you have to overcome. Events like this help these individuals overcome these challenges, that may seem minor, but which are truly huge roadblocks in their success.”
Paul Carlson, founder of the event.
The mandatory event occurs throughout the state of Illinois throughout the year, with many of the events being held at Salvation Army locations. “The Summit is really just an idea. There is no board of directors or council to speak of. When there is a group or a town that steps up and says, ‘I want to help!’ I give them the formula and we make it happen in their community. I think it’s awesome when faith-based groups like The Salvation Army step up and generously offer to host these events. We come in, totally take over their location, eat their food, use their space and they’re just happy to support and give aid without complaint.”
Carlson said that because the program is relatively young, there is no official statistic just yet on its impact on parolee recidivism, “But I can tell you it’s working. We’re delivering hope that is sorely lacking in those days and weeks after a person re-enters society. We’re showing them that it’s possible. I personally see the good work this summit does every day.”
