Aug 27, 2008 5:24 pm US/Central
Lake County Sheriff Finishes Voluntary Jail Stint
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) ―
Some say it was a publicity stunt - but a suburban sheriff says he was divinely inspired. Tonight, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is out of jail and talking about his voluntary time behind bars.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports that for a week, he slept in a concrete and steel cell - eating food he describes as horrible at best. He had no privacy when going to the bathroom, and spent most of the day biding time beside others charged with crimes that include murder and sex assault.
But at 11 a.m., Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran stepped away from his self-imposed imprisonment and up to the microphones he hoped would be waiting.
"I have no idea how this message is going to be received, but obviously I'm out here because I believe in it," Curran said.
His message about the prisoners here is for those on the outside looking in.
"W can't treat them like caged animals - they are human beings," Curran said.
He says to start by introducing God into their troubled lives.
"We can't run from faith - we need to allow faith in the doors," Curran said.
Curran says it's a needed detour from the traditional jailhouse road to rehabilitation.
"To teach woodshop without a morals component, you're not going to have a better person in terms of society - you may have a smarter criminal," Curran said.
In the light of freedom, there was praise for his efforts.
"Many people talk about love, but this sheriff has demonstrated love," Curran's associate said.
"He always asked us questions on how we felt," an inmate said. "I see something in him, you know? It makes me think if I had never gotten in trouble, I could be doing so much bigger things as well with my life."
"We talked a lot about situations – religion and stuff like that, children, family," another inmate said. "I think it made a change in me because to see someone on that high statue come down and be humble just like us, it showed me that I could also humble myself."
"We need to make sure that they come out a better person than when they went in," Curran said.
Curran says by rehabilitating an inmate's soul, we can better improve a justice system where 97 percent of prisoners are eventually released. He believes that rehabilitation also keeps others from falling victim to crimes. And he adds, 'don't call him a wuss' - pointing out that he spent years as a prosecutor.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Video: CBS 2's Picks To Click
