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A chaplain to serve all needs

Published January 12, 2009 | 12:09 a.m.

BY TERRY FLORES
tflores@kenoshanews.com

Hasan Hakeem walks the hall inside the Kenosha County Detention Center with an even gait, the keys to various rooms jingling at his side as he reaches a multipurpose room door to unlock it.

The room sports a narrow window, offering a glimpse into an empty pod where inmates sleep, interact, and are confined. The inmates have begun their daily routine of lining up in shifts in the hall, preparing to eat their last meal of the day.

Hakeem, 60, of Waukegan, Ill., and the county’s first Muslim chaplain, waits to wave at a corrections officer at the end of the line, respectful of the delicate balance of power that exists between jailer and inmate.

Hired full-time four months ago replacing longtime chaplain Sister Virginia Reichard, a Catholic nun known simply as “Sister Ginny,” Hakeem knows he is welcome. And, like the keys he carries, he knows that the chaplaincy is one that has grown to serve multiple purposes in its more than 25 years since its establishment July 1, 1983.

“The work cannot be done here without these corrections officers,” he said.And his work isn’t solely with inmates; he also helps the staff and corrections officers.

“I’m in here for everybody ... anyone who is looking for guidance who is here.”

Hakeem is the fourth in a line of ecumenical chaplains who’ve made preventing inmate recidivism and ending the victimization of communities their goals. He is also the first male and African-American to become chaplain.

In addition to Sister Ginny, who retired this summer, he is preceded by the Rev. Sandy Roberts, a Lutheran pastor, and the late Sister Marie Francine Schettle, also a Catholic nun and the first chaplain for the county’s downtown jail and later the detention center.

Hakeem served as an assistant chaplain, a part-time job now held by the Rev. Stan Widzins. Both positions are funded through members of an independent chaplaincy board, individual donors and local churches, and not the county. The chaplaincy board was established with its first chairman, the Rev. Jack Ottoson, formerly of Lord of Life Church. Ottoson was instrumental in securing a $10,000 grant from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the support of the Kenosha Clergy Association to create the jail chaplaincy program.

“I really love what I see here,” said Hakeem, referring to Kenosha’s high regard for the chaplaincy and the area’s thriving diversity, including its faiths.

A team effort

For Hakeem the work of the chaplain is not a one-man show, but one of teamwork.

“The work cannot be done here without these corrections officers,” he said.

And his work isn’t solely with inmates; he also helps the staff and corrections officers.

“I’m in here for everybody ... anyone who is looking for guidance who is here,” he said.

Peggy Frizzle, a corrections officer at the detention center for 11 years, said the presence of the chaplain, no matter what faith, is something staff members appreciate given the challenges they face.

“It’s very difficult working here,” she said. “Just to talk to him — I can vent. Even though I may laugh about it, he’s there when you want to talk because in here it can take its toll.”

Hakeem said the officers are his “eyes and ears.” They can sense when someone is looking to manipulate them and when inmates are seeking a way out of their “dark place.”

“They (corrections officers) can spot things, and they know when someone really needs to talk,” he said. “Plus I need to hear from them to balance it out.”

“You balance us out, too,” said Frizzle, who had just stopped to chat briefly with Hakeem.

Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Gary Preston, who oversees both the downtown jail and the detention center, said having a chaplain on-site is invaluable because of the connections that person is able to make for people.

“The chaplain is kind of the last ditch for inmates if they can’t make collect phone calls or when we have to notify an inmate of a death of a relative on the outside,” he said.

“A lot of times it helps to have a non-uniformed person around. You’ll find that people who are in jail are really in a hole. But you’ll also see, for example, that the Bible and others have references to jail and (finding) salvation. We’re not here to sell religion, but we’re here to facilitate.”

Sheriff David Beth views the chaplaincy as an important resource for all who are living or working in confinement.

“They’re just great resources in times of need for those who are here against their will or are in there working,” he said.

Ending recidivism

Kenosha’s jail chaplaincy appealed to Hakeem because he found all involved were on the same page.

“I think we’d want them (released inmates) not to come back. Now, that doesn’t always happen,” said Hakeem. “You ask why I sought to be chaplain; I didn’t. The level of cooperation is so high in here. I can’t believe it. In Kenosha, the chaplain’s position is very respected.”

Hakeem said it took some intervention, divine and otherwise, but despite his reluctance, he was always reminded of his calling from God and the advice of his mother.

“Most of the prevailing attitude in society is to kick them to the curb and leave them there,” he said. “My mother told me you serve God and you serve your community, and I’ve come to serve my community.”

Labor of love

Sister Ginny Reichard’s own experience coming in to the chaplaincy was to fulfill a need on the local level.

“Personally for me, it was the county setting. That’s where folks can still be turned around,” said Reichard, who decided to retire after the death of her father earlier this year. “They’re there for a year or less. Some are waiting to go to prison. They’re there for the short term, and often it’s the most difficult time because they’re coming out of the home setting when they realize what they’ve done. That’s when they say to themselves, ‘Oh my God,’ and it really starts hitting.”

In the last decade, the chaplaincy has developed from a visitation and Bible study effort to one that attempts to meet a variety of needs — from helping inmates overcome drug addictions to collecting donations of books and toiletries for the indigent.

Hakeem, who is the president of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Zion, Ill., was raised as a Baptist, but later converted to Islam in the late 1960s. He said he has always been open to learning about diverse faiths. In addition to being a religious leader, Hakeem worked as a reporter for the Waukegan News Sun. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Lake Forest College.

“I really don’t like people oppressing others, especially when it comes to their beliefs,” he said.

The chance to meet with inmates who are soul searching, “perhaps it is what God wants,” he said. Yet, Hakeem is attuned to any connection that may help.

God or guidance

Hakeem spoke with one man who was addicted to heroin and had no interest in discussing faith or religion. When they first met, Hakeem said they talked about characters on “The Simpsons.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t have anything to do with God,” he said, “but with guidance.”

Reichard added that Hakeem’s arrival comes as more inmates have requested services for Muslims. But Reichard and Hakeem, despite being of distinct faiths, have always agreed on one thing: Chaplains are there for those no matter what their religious beliefs are.

“All of them are our church. You have to be whatever it is they happen to need.”

Comments:

There are 5 comments on this topic

A blessing passed on 01/15 at 00:48 He IS there for all no matter what their faiths and many are grateful.

keep up the good work friend 01/15 at 19:00 Wow great story! Great job to Mr. Hakeem. I've read about the group he's a part of and they've had some great social achievements locally as well as internationally. We need more like him.

nj 01/18 at 02:28 very inspiring story of good work. please keep it up.

Special Talent Sadika Rashid-Langston 01/23 at 15:38 Mr. Hakeem has a unique talent of making people feel special, regardless of one's social background, ethnicity or religion. I respect the work that he is doing for the Kenosha jail system.

Ministering California Tamera Sea 01/28 at 11:13 What about the other majority faith. Many muslims are not nice or even kind to other faith leaders. Will he get along with the other people coming to minister to the inmates?

WE must reform the criminal justice system

Criminal Justice Reform Faith Letter

The undersigned faith organizations are committed to reforming the criminal justice system in the United States. We represent millions of Americans, many of whom provide pastoral care for prisoners while they are incarcerated, direct services for those reentering society after incarceration, and sponsor various drug and crime prevention services and programs for our constituencies and the community at large. Thus, our organizations have a vested interest in the state of the criminal justice system and are mobilized to advocate and work for common sense reforms.With a new Administration and Congress we hope that the needed reforms in the criminal justice system will be implemented in a bipartisan fashion. The past approach by Congress to “get tough on crime” has given rise to policies which led to a ballooning of the prison population and has often averted our focus from effective solutions for our communities. These policies forced the states to place their most intense focus on building prisons, which subsequently diverted their attention away from effective solutions that result in safer communities. This explains why we have a 68% national recidivism rate.

Our purpose is to work with Congress to pass criminal justice reforms that refocus our energy and efforts on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programs, increase public safety, strengthen families, and reduce the enormous social and economic costs of maintaining such a large prison population.

Current get-tough approaches have not enhanced public safety, but instead, have exacerbated problems for communities. The number of those imprisoned exceeds two million, one in every hundred adults. And 1.7 million children have a parent in prison. Moreover, racial injustice has been intensified, as one in every eight Black males in their twenties is currently incarcerated. Prison conditions have become harsher with less and less resources to manage the bulging system. The lack of education and rehabilitation breeds antagonism which negatively affects the incarcerated and the prison staff as well. Studies indicate that prison guards suffer from a much higher rate of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness as well as domestic violence. We believe that reforms are needed not just to protect the rights of the imprisoned but to protect corrections staff as well.

With serious effort and necessary leadership and vision, this situation can be effectively addressed. Reform based on a holistic approach will protect the human rights and basic dignity of the imprisoned, maintain the mental health of corrections staff, and increase public safety for all of society. The faith organizations endorsing this letter believe there are common values that can effectively bring about these necessary reforms. These values include:

• A greater emphasis on prevention as a way to reduce drug abuse and crime and thereby establish safer communities;
• Healing for the victims of crime and personal responsibility and accountability for those responsible for committing acts of crime;
• Education and meaningful work as a basis for morale and as preparation for those who are incarcerated to become self-sufficient, contributing members of their communities when they are released;
• Compassion for all people coming out of prison who should be given a second chance so that their families and communities will be strengthened;
• Equality for racial minorities that have been unfairly targeted through racial profiling and sentencing disparities;
• Respect for the integrity, safety, and rights of the imprisoned.

The reforms we call for will require sustained effort and leadership, and we look forward to working with you to make them a reality.

Signed: Hasan Hakeem, Chaplain, Kenosha County, WI Correctional Department

America: A Prison Nation

Prison nation

Reformer.com

Friday, April 3

There are few industries more recession-proof than prisons, especially in this country.

The United States has the world's highest incarceration rate, with 2.3 million people behind bars. Despite having only 5 percent of the world's population, we have 25 percent of the world's reported prison population.

Ours is a nation that loves retribution. The flip side to "zero tolerance," mandatory sentencing laws and "get tough" policies on crime is that about 1 out of every 31 American adults is either in prison, jail or on supervised release. And all this costs us, as a nation, about $68 billion a year.

The picture is even worse in Vermont. According to data compiled by the Pew Center on the States, between 1996 and 2006,

Vermont's prison population doubled in size -- from 1,058 to 2,123 inmates -- and the corrections budget went up 129 percent -- from $48 million in fiscal year 1996 for $130 million in fiscal year 2006.

The percentage of the state budget devoted to corrections has risen from 4 percent of the general fund in 1990 to 10 percent of the general fund in 2008. Our state's incarceration rate has increased 80 percent over the past decade, compared to a national average of 18 percent.

At the current rate of growth, the state will either have to ship more prisoners to out-of-state facilities -- which would cost about $82 million -- or spend $206 million to build new prisons in Vermont.

---

In the ongoing budget battle, it has been more or less decided that more prisoners will be shipped out of state to corporate-run private prisons, since it is cheaper. But is that the real solution to the problem of an out-of-control corrections budget?

Vermont has the dubious distinction of being one of five states (Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan and Oregon are the others) that spend more on corrections than on their higher education systems. Is that the kind of state we want to be?

In Parade magazine this week, U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., wrote about the urgent need to reform our nation's criminal justice system. With so many of our fellow citizens in jail, Webb wrote that "either we are home to the most evil people on earth or we are doing something different -- and vastly counterproductive. Obviously, the answer is the latter."

Webb believes one of the biggest problems is that we have swamped the criminal justice system with low-level drug offenders.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly 48 percent of all drug arrests in 2007 were for marijuana offenses and nearly 60 percent of all people in state prison serving sentences for drug offenses had no history of violence or of significant selling activity.

And while blacks comprise 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 37 percent of those arrested, 59 percent of those convicted and 74 percent of those sentenced on drug charges.

The other factor driving the increase in the prison population is mental health. The Department of Justice estimates 16 percent of adult inmates -- more than 350,000 -- suffer from mental illness, and the percentage is even higher among juveniles.

That is why Webb says he has introduced legislation to "create a national commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice system with an eye toward reshaping the process from top to bottom."

He believes it's time for Americans to ask some hard questions. Why are so many of our citizens in jail compared to other nations? What is this costing us in tax dollars and lost opportunities? How can we change our nation's drug policies? How can we better diagnose and treat mental illness? How can we make our prisons a place for rehabilitation rather than violence and hate?

These are questions most politicians would rather not answer. It's easier to pass a gay marriage law in our legislature that it is to pass a law that would decriminalize marijuana possession. It's easier to advocate sending more people to jail for longer stretches in the name of public safety than to honestly deal with all the factors that make the United States the world's No. 1 jailer.

We need more lawmakers at every level of government who are brave enough to deal with a criminal justice system that is a national disgrace, to make the necessary changes and to come up with better ways to keep our nation safe.