Mt. Vernon Register-News

Local

January 15, 2010

Re-Entry Summit Feb. 9

By RORYE O’CONNOR

rorye.oconnor@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Anticipation for Mt. Vernon’s first re-entry program is building as the date of the event inches closer.

“I’m excited,” said Paul Carlson, District 5 parole superintendent for the Illinois Department of Corrections. “This is going to be a really good thing for the offenders and the city of Mt. Vernon.”

The Mt. Vernon Southern Illinois Re-Entry Summit is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Rolland W. Lewis Community Building at Veteran’s Memorial Park.

The event, the first of its kind in the King City area, is restricted to current state or federal detainees and certain citizens on parole or probation, Carlson said.

“This is a community expo of the necessary services to guide and assist the people of your community who never want to return to prison,” information states.

The event will be patrolled by parole officers and other officials in the building and parking lot to keep it secure, Carlson said.

Participants will be walked through a series of tables with volunteers from Southern Illinois University, he said. The detainees, parolees and others will have the opportunity to have an HIV test taken, speak with counselors about the issues they are facing or will be facing once they leave jail or prison.

“They’ll sit at a table with an SIU student and fill out a questionnaire about what they want, what they need,” Carlson said.

The participants will also get the opportunity to practice interview and resume skills, Carlson said.

Terri DeNeal, representative of UCAN of Southern Illinois, said the participants will also have an opportunity to get a state ID from the Secretary of State’s Office’s mobile unit. She said UCAN is funding the opportunity.

“The most important thing at this point is you can’t have any gaps,” DeNeal told participants at a planning meeting earlier this week. “I’m so tired of seeing people slip through the cracks. You know about something in this community that I don’t know about. All the puzzle pieces are in this community, and it just hasn’t been put together.”

DeNeal said the reason Mt. Vernon had been picked for the upcoming summit was because business owners and prominent members of the community had contacted her, and it was where she felt it needed to happen.

“I can’t say how important this is,” she said. “This is about public safety. Everyone who is in prison, this is probably not their first offense. That means there are multiple victims. We have to stop that. It’s about getting them on the right track.”

Carlson cited the example of a young person he met through his job who he saw later after the person had gotten out of prison.

“He was studying at SIU,” Carlson said. “When he saw me, he said, ‘The things you say are true. I got a job. I’m participating in school. I have never, ever felt this way about myself.’”

Summit organizers are still looking for businesses and services to participate in the event, especially community churches. To help, call Terri DeNeal at the UCAN office at 618-942-4710 or e-mail sirgmtvernon@aol.com.

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