On April 25 I was a guest of the spring conference of Arrowhead Regional Corrections. It was good to be back after many years.
The goal is the same, helping those who need help, the criminal as well as those who work in corrections. Fatigue as well as burn-out was also a workshop topic.
In 1982, when I was on this board, one in 98 people was under some type of correction control in Minnesota. Today that number is one in 26. Ouch! Approximately 7,000 come home from prison each year in Minnesota.
Emily Baxter, one of the workshop presenters, is writing a book titled We are all criminals, we have not all got caught. This is true if we are honest with ourselves. Many are caught and end up in courts and come away with a record.
Did you know if you commit a crime under the age of 17 your records are not destroyed once you turn 18? Depending on the crime this may haunt you five, seven or 15 years and sometimes for life. If you go looking for a job your records could be checked – there is a true story of an 18-year-old boy who won a full scholarship to play baseball at a college and after checking his records he was turned down. Ouch again!
In Cook County we have a problem with all ages who think they could try meth and other hard drugs just once or twice. But then they become hooked. With all the education that is out there about the dangers, why is there a desire to even try it?
We all must take ownership and ask ourselves, “Is it really worth it?” There is always someone watching. How do you want to be seen?
Chester Lindskog
Grand Marais
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