In the U.S. on average, 10.6 million people are sent to jail at least once every year. This statistic shows the sheer amount of people who have that cold steel gate close in front of their eyes and there's nothing they can do about it. Some deserved to see that while others did not but it's just the cold reality of the criminal justice system that we operate on in today's world. It's not a misconception to say that there are people in this world that deserve to be behind bars for the rest of their lives, but does that mean they deserve to be treated like dogs? Some people may say yes due to the fact that they chose their fate nine times out of 10, but others argue that their heart beats the same way that citizens outside the bars do. I stand with those who know that all humans are humans. We are all constructed the same as one another but we all act differently. Even though some people do wrong in their lives, doesn't mean it gives people like me the right to look down on them in anyway. I cannot say that im totally unbiased however, because I think a man or a woman who abuses a child sexually in any manner is an animal and the lowest scum of the Earth. I don't think I am a terrible person for thinking that either. With that being said, my opinion has nothing to do with my profession. I have chosen a profession to serve and protect people regardless of their identity or crimes committed. During the many jail tours that I have attended, I admired Sheriff Asbell on his compassion and respect for every single human being that steps foot on his facility floors. I am confident that he is truly committed to the well being and the rehabilitation of his inmates in that facility. Jail is already hard enough, but when you get stuck with a Sheriff that doesn't have the same beliefs as Peoria Counties current sheriff, it creates a very difficult environment to really change the way you think and act as a convicted criminal. The entire goal is to change the way the person thinks about crime and help them become the person that they want to be and what society wants them to be, Not to punish them and make them angrier and more hostile than before they came in. FIRE002
During our tour of the Peoria County Jail, Sheriff Asbell mentioned that the population of the jail was hovering around 250-300 inmates in the jail currently. What really struck me was when he said that when Sheriff McCoy was managing the jail, the population was well over 500-600 inmates. What really struck me was Sheriff Asbell’s efforts to cut down the population and how he was going about it. He told us multiple times that one of his goals were to get the good people out of jail as quickly as possible and to treat them nicely while they were in there. The big thing that really hit me was how he was going about taking care of mentally ill people in jail, He said that nearly 80% of people in the jail had some form of mental illness and that if you came in without some form of remorse or illness, that you were a sociopath or a psychopath. It’s really unfortunate that mentally ill people in jails today aren’t getting the proper care that they not only need but deserve and I’m glad Sheriff Asbell is willing to rock the boat. If you’re not caring for those people, then how can you claim that you are “rehabilitating” them, when as soon as they get out, they won’t be able fit in with society and will most likely reoffend. Another great thing that Sheriff Asbell is doing is treating everyone with respect, even the bad inmates. Doing this will most likely cut down on tension in the jail and will give the officers in the jail the chance to help the inmates instead of just watching them. Hiring full-time psychologists is a great start for caring for the folks with mental illness and giving the guards the chance to interact with the inmates can create good relationships with them, knowing that the guards are there to help them. I also like how Sheriff Asbell said that all of his patrol officers start out in the jail. This gives the officers the training on how to be respectful and how to interact with people who are different than them. It also proves that you can handle the responsibility of having a gun on you out in the street. If you can’t handle the jail, then you will not handle being on the street. All in all, I really like what Sheriff Asbell is doing and how he is embracing positive change in our criminal justice system, by starting out where it matters most, in our jail system. OUTATIME002
One of the things that I most appreciated about the tour led through Peoria County Jail was the attitude and values of Sheriff McCoy. In such a polarized political landscape he is able to secure the elected position of sheriff appealing to both republicans and democrats because of his effective corrections strategies, strategies which made themselves seen within the very first minutes of the tour and lasted until its end. One of the first things I noticed was the sheriffs perspective on maintaining his prisoners dignity. He did not want them to feel like an animal trapped in a zoo and waited patiently as a new arrival was booked and processed. He believes so much in the concept of dignity he sacrifices the possible seizure of contraband in belief of it, never strip searching a newly arrested person when he does not find it necessary. He now only searches those who know they are coming to prison, believing they are more likely to smuggle in contraband. He was proud of a great many things he has enacted in the jail, featuring one such as crack down on putting people in isolation, a punishment he believes does more harm than good. This crackdown includes extra paperwork, rounds every 15 minutes for every hour, psych consultations and many more pieces of red tape. Another thing he is attempting to improve at his jail includes having 24hr psych-care available for all prisoners, as many of them in there suffer from some form of mental illness. Whenever he thought we may find something uncomfortable, like the prisoners sleeping on the floor or the putrid smell of the jail commons, he took the moment to address them to us. I feel the attitude of the jail was as positive as it could be, the corrections officers and the prisoners themselves were cordial with the sheriff and I feel like this is only possible by achieving that level of dignity he aspires so highly to. Many times he repeated that he believes in respect. In his opinion it does not matter who you are talking to, either him, a CO, or a prisoner, you will treat them all with the same mutual respect you'd give him. We did not get to finish the tour with sheriff McCoy however, as he had to leave on a personal errand involving the termination of an employee. A rare care he informed us, but since this employee was known to be behaving poorly and lying, breaking codes of trust, he did not want to keep him and did not want such an untrustworthy individual interacting with his prisoners. -CamSlifton002
The American criminal justice system holds almost 2.3 million people in 1,719 state prisons, 109 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,163 local jails, and 80 Indian Country jails as well as in military prisons, immigration detention facilities, civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in the U.S. Being locked up is already hard enough especially dealing with all the things that come along with jails and prisons. Sheriff Brian Asbell makes it a little easier for these inmates to spend their time while in the jail. While we were on the jail tour we saw someone in the process of being booked in. Sheriff Asbell wanted to make sure that he still had his dignity and respect while this was happening to the inmate. He also said that while they are in the beginning stage of being booked in that he wanted he or she to be able to bond out by calling as many people as possible. Most places only give you that one phone call. But what if they dont answer how will you be able to get out that night. Sheriff Asbell talked about how the people that were in there are just like me. He or she just made stupid decisions but they got caught and I did not. Which is true because so many people in the world look at people who came from jail or prison like the scum of the earth. When in fact they did the same exact crime before when they were younger. It's a good thing that they have programs for people with mental health. A lot of people who are arrested has some form of mental health. No matter if it's depression or if its drug use problems. Going into jail that inmate will have a lot of time to think. Why not help that person be better so they don't re offend? They will be a better person not just for themselves but for the people around them. I also liked when he said that when he hires new people they have to start in the jail because he or she needs to know how to deescalate a situation without having a gun on there hip. Which a lot of officers need to start doing because so many people are being killed because the officer is so quick to use that gun. Now I understand that you don't know what you are walking up to when you are pulling someone over or going to there house. But some situations can be fixed without using a weapon. Such as a taser and pepper spray but the biggest thing is using your words. Batman002
Beginning the tour, Sheriff Asbell stated that 286 inmates were currently incarcerated in Peoria County Jail. In earlier years, the incarceration amount were almost double that, upwarding up to 600 inmates. As we were moving on in the tour in the Sally Port, we waited a few short moments as an inmate was being booked. The sheriff explained before the tour that this isn't simply a Zoo. This tour was to inform us and acknowledge us about the different rules and regulations of the jail, what happens inside. This showed a lot coming from Sheriff Asbell. This showed dignity, it showed as we waited for the inmate to be booked so the inmate can be confidential as in what's going on inside the inmates life. This gave the respect to the individual showing that these people are exactly like we are, stated later in the tour by Sheriff Asbell. While waiting, the Sheriff also explained, 60% of people made a mistake and 40% truly belong here. Putting this into my own words, I understood that he was meaning, everyone makes mistakes, and these certain people are just like us. We then moved into middle hallway. This separates the new buildings and the old buildings, the new building being built in ‘98. Sheriff Asbell moves us into the Womens pod where we begin to talk about integrity of his officers and the integrity of the inmates. Explaining the women's pods and the differences between the mens pod, he explains the men correctional officers will never work the womens pod, but at times, women correctional officers will work on mens pod due to lack of officers or anything else. Again, giving dignity to the female inmates hindering them from being cohoresed into sexual abuse with male correctional officers, allowing them to do their sentence without obstacles like these come in the way. Although, the PREA law being a factor in that, Sheriff Asbell still made certain he would not allow that anyway. Sheriff Asbell also explained a thing called “chores”. This was covering the hygiene of the inmates, and the cleanliness to the quarters they live in. I'm not certain if this is a requirement in all jails, but I am certain that Asbell, made sure these people are taken care of during their stay. He stated that a simple sickness can travel within the pod in days. Lastly, this shows true dignity to the inmates as Sheriff Asbell gives them that window to take care of their hygiene and to make somewhat, normal as possible. -as2000
In the US. there is about an average of 2.2 million people incarcerated in jails which leads to what I am going to talk about next. My corrections classmates and I took a tour with Sheriff Brian Asbell at the Peoria County Jail a couple days ago. Sheriff Brian Asbelll explained that when he got there, there was about five to six hundred inmates in the jail fast forward to now he has been able to bring that number down to about two hundred something. I think that is so great because they less people in jail the better. The thing that I learned a lot about is Sheriff Asbells character that day. I learned about how well he treats everyone that comes into his jail. From the moment we got to the jail I saw how much respect he had with everyone. When we walked over from the main area to the booking area he made sure that we did not go in because someone was being booked and he did not want to make it like a show around that person being booked. He waited until that person was done being booked until we walked in to start our tour. When we got in and stopped by the holding area he started talking about the hallway where they hold those who are on suicide watch. Along with that he mentioned how that when he got on he made sure that he was able to get mental health services for the inmate. He realized that jail is a scary thing and it can mess with others minds and also worsen those who already have those issues. Mental illness is a growing thing and being able to get those services to these people in jail is going to help the situation so much more. I like how he had a separate area for those on suicide watch because he wants to keep these people safe because most that are in jail are just like us. Another thing he told us was that he does not strip search everyone all the time, he knows that more contraband will be in the jails but he cares about others enough that he does not want to strip everyone naked all the time. He treats them like individuals which is great. One thing that really stood out to me was when he made sure to mention that we should not stare at the inmates like we were at a zoo or a circus. He made sure that we did not make the inmates feel like less of a person. One last thing, I love how he has programs for the inmates to be able to develop better skills for when they go back into the community. Over all, I really enjoyed listening to Asbell talk about what he does for the inmates and what he has done for the jail. -wags002
According to the New York Times, as of April 2, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that officials may perform strip searches on any arrested officials by a vote of 5-to-4. This means that even someone arrested for a traffic offense can be, by law, stripped naked and searched for any contraband on their person. On Monday, October 28, 2019, I met a sheriff who refuses to allow this law in the jail he supervises. Sheriff Brian Asbell of the Peoria County Jail allowed me and my fellow students to take a tour of his jail and he informed us on how he prefers to run jails. What I learned from this is that, compared to most other sheriffs in the United States, he is an anomaly. Sheriff Asbell refuses to allow strip searches on every arrested individual so that their dignity may be respected. Of course if the arrestee was brought in for drug charges, violence, etc., he does expect a strip search to prevent unnecessary contraband from entering a cell; however, if an arrested individual is compliant and does not seem to pose a threat, Sheriff Asbell is willing to take the risk of potential items on that person to enter the cell in order to maintain their dignity. I personally believe this should be practiced around the country because it is embarrassing and demeaning to be stripped down to nothing and be searched when the arrest was only for a warrant because of an unpaid ticket. Being arrested and jailed can be humiliating enough to someone who made an innocent and/or stupid mistake, let alone being stripped not only of their clothes but their dignity as well. As far as dignity goes for the class tour, Sheriff Asbell reiterated to us that we were entering a jail not a zoo and to treat those in their as humans and not a show. We went in as someone was being booked and he refused to let us in until it was finished to give the person respect and privacy. Sheriff Asbell, as well as my professor Dr. Earl White, continuously reminds me and my entire class that most of those in jail are normal people who messed up and got caught. I thought about that a lot throughout the tour and it made me happy to see that Sheriff Asbell and his jail staff really practice what they preach and treat the inmates like human beings and not animals. The whole tour was very mind-opening and I am extremely impressed with how the jail is ran. –Gamma002
There is nearly 2.3 million people in the United States being incarcerated and Peoria County Sheriff is trying to bring this number down within our community. Sheriff Brian Asbell is not your typical sheriff. He has changed a lot around the Peoria County jail for the greater. When we went to the jail Monday night I heard a lot about dignity. The first thing that really stood out to me was how he waited out in the garage area while an inmate was being booked. He told us over and over again that sixty percent of the people in the jail were just like everyone else but they made a mistake. I also hear this a lot in class. Sheriff Brian Asbell also wanted us to treat everyone with respect. He stated that it does not matter if we are talking to him or an inmate, we should talk to them in the same manner. Sheriff Brian Asbell also mentioned his thoughts about being striped search. He accepted of extra contraband entering the jail in order to keep someone’s dignity. He stated that the only people who need to be striped search were the ones that either turned themselves in or the people who knew they were coming to jail. Sheriff Brian Asbell has also added many things for the inmate too. He hired a nurse twenty-four hours each day. He included mental health too. He stated that eighty percent of the inmates have some sort of mental health, and if they don’t have mental health then they are psychopaths that needs to be in jail. Beside the mental health and medical services, Sheriff Brian Asbell establish a reentry program for the inmates. This is a good thing because when many of these inmates get released into society, they have nothing, no job, no money, no housing, and no transportation. This will often lead to reoffending and going back to jail. Sheriff Brian Asbell is trying to stop this from happening because it cost over eighty dollars per day to hold an inmate and this money comes from taxpayers. It is an endless cycle that Sheriff Brian Asbell is trying to change using these programs. He also teaches the inmate social skill sets. For example, when we were in the pod he talked about the inmates daily routines. He explained that before the inmates got to watch TV or play games, they had to do personal hygiene and keep their area and the common area. I think Sheriff Brian Asbell has done a lot of good things around out jail and I’m excited to see what else he changes for the better. -ju002
Roughly six out of ten people do not need to be in jail. They are locked up because of petty crimes. Most people in jail are like you and me, they are just people that had a bad break. One of Sheriff Asbell biggest things is treating everyone with respect and dignity no matter what crime they are accused or guilty for. Sheriff Asbell started his career as the sheriff when the population was around 600 people. Since his start he has cut that population by half. He believes that most people do not need to be in jail. He knows that those that most that are locked up just made a mistake. We all make mistakes but the difference between us and those that are in jail is that they got caught. Most in jail suffer from some sort of mental illness or health problem. Those that suffer from a disease shouldn't be punished for something that we all could get caught doing. Asbell knows this that's why he has set up full time mental health staff to help those in need. About 40% of the jail population are those that deserve to be locked up. Some people are just born different and don't think the same way as a “normal” person. Asbell wants everyone to be treated with respect and dignity because they are people, they could be awaiting trial for a crime that they did not commit. I did not go on the tour, but from what it sounds like is that he didn't want you staring at the inmates because they could have only been in there for a day but in our eyes we think they are a murderer. Even those that deserve to be locked up they are still human beings and the least we can all do is give them the respect that humans deserve. People make mistakes and some get caught for it. Just because they got caught and are behind bars doesn't mean they don't deserve to be treated like a human being. Strip searching is another thing that Asbell is big into. If the person is caught with drugs or paraphernalia they are strip searched because they might have more on them. The people caught on, say a DUI they are not strip searched they are just patted down because they do not need to be violated when the guards have nor reason to strip search them. I believe they everyone deserves respect because they are human just like the rest of us. -wb002
According to Sbs.gov Valletta states, “ there are over 2.3 million Americans currently in prison. There are over 1 million arrests per year for drug possession, This statistic is a little unsettling when you consider it’s approximately four times greater than the amount of arrests for drug sales, and is one of the focuses of VICE’s special report.” Today, I will discuss Sheriff Asbel jail tour and dignity. Even though these prisoners have committed crimes ranging from violent to drug possession, One thing that stood out was how much Sheriff Asbel respected the inmates. During the tour he explained how a person does not need to be searched unless there are arrested for drug possession or crimes involving a weapon. I find this interesting because most officers will be very quick to search for a person with no probable cause hoping they find something, which can lead to lawsuits. Another thing that stood out to me the most was how Sheriff Asbel has alot of programs for the inmates such as GED programs, food sanitation license and ect. This is actually caught me by surprise because inmates are giving different opportunities to better their lives. The third thing that was very interesting to me was that Asbel has a psychologist coming in at least four hours a week to talk to inmates. This is very important for the inmates because in my criminal justice 114 class we have discussed how the large population of people locked up in prisons have mental illnesses. I believe that the psychologist should certainly be there 24 hours a day, and that is something Asbel is working on. The fourth thing that Asbel mention was that even though inmates are not allowed outside there are given a chance to go into the day room to play cards, dominoes and just hang out. Going into the day room is certainly not a requirement and he let that be known. Last but not least, I love how the inmates and the officers build bonds and close relationships. It helps with the tension in jail. I think having an appropriate bond with an officer as an inmate is very important because the officers are there to help. Overall, the jail tour was extremely worth it. Going into this tour I thought that jail was a horrible place for inmates, but in reality peoria jail is not that bad. There are programs, and officers there who are willing to go the extra mile to protect their privacy. -jas002
When Sheriff Asbell first started in the Peoria County Jail, the jail population was in the five to six hundred range. Today the jail population is down to the mid two hundreds, and this can be thanks to Sheriff Asbell. Sheriff Asbell is huge on treating every inmate with dignity, because at the end of the day everyone is human. People make mistakes in life, and most of the inmates in their are truly good people. Sheriff Asbell made an estimation that sixty percent of the inmates in the jail are good people who messed up one time. A lot of these inmates that are good people can be placed in jail for offenses that they aren’t one hundred percent their fault. On the other hand there are the forty percent of inmates who are truly guilty, and deserve to spend time behind bars. No matter what category the inmates fall under Sheriff Asbell demands that himself and his correctional officers treat every inmate with respect. With this being said, Sheriff Asbell also expects to receive this same respect back. As soon as we got to the jail Sheriff Asbell had us wait outside so someone could be booked. This goes hand in hand with respect for the inmate entering the jail. During the first couple of minutes of the jail tour Sheriff Asbell explained to us that he doesn’t want us staring at the inmates, because they are not animals to be observed. Most jails do a strip search of everyone who is booked into the jail to ensure that they don’t have any weapons or drugs on them. The Peoria County Jail however does not do this anymore, because Sheriff Asbell feels that this violates people's natural human rights. Many people that come through those doors could have committed an offense as low as not paying a traffic violation. Sheriff Asbell recognizes these facts, so that's a major reason for ending the strip search. The last few examples really show that Sheriff Asbell practices what he preaches on respect. I thought it was very impressive that every since Sheriff Asbell was working in the jails nobody on suicide watch has ever successfully committed suicide. There has be suicide cases in the jail, but these cases happened to people that weren’t on suicide watch. When we attended the jail nobody was on suicide watch, but if there was there would be a red sheet up on the wall by the suicide watch cells. Overall the jail tour was a great learning opportunity, and opened my eyes up to how a jail should be ran. -CRJB002
The average cost of an inmate per year that is incarcerated is $33,507. We often look over these institutions, and think well these people are criminals we shouldn’t worry about them. They our out of sight out of mind. What we fail to see is that these offenders that are locked up are just like us. We all have the chance of becoming one of these people, because something small like having a few too many drinks, can become a year in jail. As a community, and society we have to look to jails like the peoria county jail. This jail shows off, and has a reason to. The ACA or American Corrections Association, has only accredited 1,300 facilities across the world. This shows how they have strived for a relative perfection. The facility is run by Sheriff Asbell. Asbell also has an idea that many other normal facilities dont share. Asbell believes in dignity. He believes that every offender should be treated with respect. Asbell presented that roughly 6 out of 10 of the offenders in his facility are normal people just like me and you. That these aren’t violent criminals that need to be locked up. He shows that he truly believes in this idea of dignity by not searching offenders that surrender to his jail, for things like passed tickets, and small nonviolent offenses. He provides a feeling of respect and this has the potential to create a safer place for not only the offenders, but the correctional officers as well. When these offenders aren’t stripped of their individual identity they have the ability to keep sanity, and hopefully one day come back to our population, and once again become a productive member of society. He also helps to keep these offenders healthy by providing mental health treatment, and a psychologist for the prison to help them with proper diagnosis and treatment for these people. This helps with the idea of recidivism which is the idea of an offender committing a crime then finishing the sentence to only come back again. Providing the correct treatment while they’re locked up can help to reduce the possibility of recidivism. Asbell promotes a positive relationship between the less serious criminals in the jail, so that this provides a form of dignity, and safety between the two. Overall Sheriff Asbell does not want these less serious criminals, the you and I type of criminals to suffer. This shows us how we could provide more forward thinkers to our corrections systems. Asbell has generated a new idea in jails, and that's the idea of dignity and respect. He has made some angry, and some don’t like it, but the best part of this is the result. JORG002
Going through the Peoria County Jail with Sheriff Brian Asbell was a great experience and taught all of us quite a bit. One item in particular we had learned about was dignity. It is extremely important to treat every single individual with dignity. When we had first arrived at the jail and started our tour, I remember that there was a person who was going to be entered into the jail and they had to be strip searched. It was interesting how the Sheriff waited for the search to finish and made sure we could not see in order to give him the respect and the dignity he is owed. I do not believe most people who work in or run jails would think twice about letting us see the inmate. I thought it was great that Sheriff Asbell does not have a blanket policy on strip searches. As he had stated, people do stupid things and do not always require a strip search. He said that people who know they are going to jail, turn themselves in, and those whose crime was related to drugs, violence, or weapons will get strip search which is very reasonable. But, someone who comes in on something like a speeding ticket will not unless it warrants it. It mostly seems like common sense. There are several reasons we must show dignity to the men and women who enter jail. These are human beings not animals. I am sure most people do not enjoy having people stare them down and like a little bit of privacy. We do not know these people’s entire backgrounds and they may be extremely uncomfortable with the idea of strip searches. Asbell said that most people who enter the jail have some sort of treatable mental illness. With that being said, we should treat everyone with respect and dignity because we do not know what they could be going through. If we treat everyone that way then it will most likely lead to a better relationship between inmates and correctional officers and a better environment for everyone. We have to remember that the inmates of our correctional facilities are human beings with emotions and needs and should be treated as such. These people are usually people who have struggled a good portion of their life and do not need more things to add to the stress of life and the situation they are in. –arm002
Going to the Peoria County jail I really learned a lot from the Sheriff and the way the jail works. It was more than just a tour visit to me, I got several life lessons from him. Dignity is the most important thing to have in general, but especially in this line of work. The Sheriff stated that 60% of prisoners are not bad people. I really agree with what he is saying, people are not perfect and tend to get themselves in situations they never thought they would. For example, take someone who is selling weed to support himself or his family is not a bad person. People makes mistakes that lands them in positions that are incriminating. The other which is 40% need to be in prison, like child molesters, rapist. He states that if any inmate doesn't any type of remorse that really scares him. Which is should worry anyone, due to the fact that if these individuals are release back into society it can really be damaging. Having respect for people and treating people how you want to be treated is always a must in life. Being surrounded by criminals of all types deserve to be treated in a fair way. It really doesn't help being a corrections officer and not being able to do their job in right way because of their attitude towards certain inmates.At the end of the day these are human beings, and they deserve to be treated as such. The county jail is really trying to help better these inmates in so many ways. Having programs for women and men to help rehabilitate them. Providing full staff for the mentally ill, is amazing. I like this above all he was talking about, only because majority of people in prison have some form of a mental illness. Instead of just housing them in jail, they are actually giving them help from psychiatrists. Allowing this to happen makes it easier for those particular inmates to get a better understanding for others around them. By providing this in the jail is another example of dignity, it shows that he cares enough to want to see these inmates to be better. He gave a good example of dignity, when he was firing someone he didn't have it. In this field of work its very important to have it. People in this job have a power of authority and can often abuse this. That's why is important to be honest, and have respect for others around you.The PRIA act is also another way to help reduce lack of respect. Seeing someone getting violated and saying anything rather its an inmate or officer is not acceptable. Just having morals and respect for others goes a long way in the jail. Having a good relationship between the inmates is a plus that way they can show you respect and vice versa. -zw002
The average cost of an inmate per year is 33,507. That is a lot of money considering the state of Illinois is in a massive amount of debt and to be frank, no one wants to sit in jail for a long duration of time. That is why sherriff Asbell is liked by so many local peorians because of his commitment to dignity, and integrity no matter the individual. My professor Doctor White absolutely raves about this man, and as I learned during my tour at the Peoria County Jail it was for good reason. The way Mr. Asbell presents himself you can not help but feel this prestigious personna emitting from him. His colleagues as well could not help but show great respect and appreciation for the things he is trying to accomplish as Peoria County sheriff. When we first arrived at the jail he greeted us and gave us an overview of the tour. We were a little delayed at first because the sheriff did not want us to interrupt an ongoing booking. As we entered the room all the employees instantly seemed energized and even more ready to work. It was because either their boss just walked in the door, or that is just the standard they are held inside the career of enforcement in this county. We later got to look at some housing units for the women and got to see one of the gyms for the inmates. Mr. Asbell insured to us that no one in the jail is treated without respect in this jail including the inmates. That stood out to me because growing up the only time you got to see prisoners were in shows and movies and they were always treated like they did not matter to anyone, and that they were just animals. I felt like that narrative was being re-written with the way our jail handles inmates from the ones being freshly booked in, to the ones who have been there for sometime. The sheriff had to leave us to tend to an ongoing issue he had to resolve so he let the captain of our patrol unit finish off our Q&A. Besides the facts about his career it seemed like he was most into talking about his views towards Mr. Asbells work. And the things he is working on to improve our broken CRJ system. I can not wait to meet him again and learn and soak in his ways of integrity, dignity, and leadership. wiseguy002
Nearly 540,000 people are behind bars that have not even been convicted or sentenced yet. Many people are locked up are in due to poverty, mental health issues, or substance abuse. Such a large population is sitting in lock up, because they can not afford to bail themselves out. Sheriff Asbell makes it a clear point that just because people are imprisoned, that does not mean that they are any different from us. People are locked up for silly mistakes and even serious offenses. Depending on what someone did to get locked up, it should reflect the process. If someone gets arrested for something such as a traffic violation, Asbell does not feel it is completely necessary to do an entire search. Not everyone needs to go through a strip search even though the Peoria County Jail has the right to strip search anyone to enter the facility. The Peoria County Jail is an accredited jail, and Sheriff Asbell takes pride in that. There is no need to make people feel small when they are not someone who seriously needs searched. I like how Asbell really does want the people locked up to be treated fairly during their stay. The greater majority of people in jail will come out of being locked up and we need to see it as such. While being behind bars the mind diminishes, many struggling with mental health issues, struggle harder. I thought it was interesting to walk past the solitary confinement rooms where an inmate can be safely held if they are on suicide watch or a threat to themselves. Someone on suicide watch has to be checked on much more often than normal inmates for safety reasons. To show that someone is on suicide watch a red sheet will be placed next to the door. To ensure that they do not hurt themselves, the inmate is stipped down and given a tearable cloth to cover themselves. Nobody sits in jail for an incredibly long amount of time or under a single year. In order for those in jail to earn free time they have to do chores and finish them to a whole. Chores may include daily hygiene and cleaning up the areas that they might use. The end goal is to get people back out into society. It is never the goal to hold people longer than necessary. It is important to keep people feeling like people till they can return to normal life. -KF002
In the United States, about 10.3 million people were arrested for all offenses in 2018. The arrest rate for all offenses was also high in 2017, there were 3,152.6 arrests for every 100,000 residents. Normally, the police officers are evaluated on how many arrests they make or how many tickets they give out which would explain the high arrest rates. Brian Asbel did something different when he came into position and eliminated those evaluations because “there’s no way to count how many times an officer has a positive interaction with someone in the community.” Sheriff Asbel knows just how much it means to be seen as trustworthy and respectful in the eyes of the citizens. The average jail population while Sheriff McCoy was in office was roughly 500-600 people on a daily basis. The daily population on average as of now is nearly half of what it used to be. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect upon arrival at the jail Monday night; I didn’t know just how many inmates, if any, we would come in contact with or see. As we were lead into the booking area of the jail, Sheriff Asbel had us wait outside until they finished up the process and the person was not in view. This is one of the many areas where dignity and respect for others came into play that night. He really explained the importance of having respect for the inmates especially because at the end of the day they’re just like us except they got caught for their bad decisions and mistakes. Asbel said many times that 60% of the people in jail are good people; his undersheriff who took over towards the end of the night even said he’d seen some of his family members in there. Which is why it is so important for the correctional officers to have respect while talking to and dealing with the inmates. Sheriff Asbel has put so much time and effort into making sure the inmates have proper mental health care and counseling, something most people may not think of. I was so surprised to hear someone with so much power demand respect for the inmates and other people in the jail. Most people in that position tend to use their power and high rank as a lever to treat people poorly and it made me so happy to know that he is not one of those people. Sheriff Brian Asbel has been a blessing to Peoria county and the sheriff’s department in many ways; I hope others in the surrounding areas learn from his behavior and take proper action as well. --coffeeplease002
According to the Peoria Journal Star (August 27, 2016), is in an article about how minorities are more likely to be arrested and imprisoned. African Americans in Peoria County, I make up a large percentage of the prison population compared to whites. In the article due to the social, economic, and physical segregation most African Americans were getting pulled over a lot. Most of the community that live deeper in the city feel like they are targeted more and that officer friendly is not that all welcoming. Besides traffic stops there are the drugs busts which lead straight to the jail. Sheriff Asbell got elected to reduce the inmate population down to half then the previous administration. He said at the beginning he had over 600+ inmates when the jail was only designed for half that. But slowly with his introduction of programs including mental and medical help his idea was to get the inmates with the slightest infractions against the law he was holding out on bail. His idea was that most that come into the jail are innocent. They just screwed up and unless proven guilty ought to get a second chance. Also, if most were able to get on bail this would have reduced the population and keep the cost of holding someone imprisoned. The Sheriff believes that if you treat a prisoner with dignity and respect they should in response do the same but that doesn’t happen all the time. Since he has been in charge, there has been a system reform to keep the prisoners busy such as doing chores around the facility to keep the place clean and in return they get free time either as extra time to stay up later, to additional time on phone call, or extra viewing time on the television. His main focus was to keep the violence down and process the inmates on a safely manner. Sheriff Asbell is turning out to run such a tight supervised routine with his officers that most have a high retention and want to stay on or some other departments highly regard his staff from their training that they prefer to hire a guard from this department then most others. He doesn’t want you in the jail system he just wants to run a fair system and keep the bad guys locked up and run an efficient system and keep the innocent free. Navy002
I have been on the tour three times for my class. I can see a difference when I went last time. People that are in the jail are just like us, the only thing that they did was something petty and that is why they got locked up. The sheriff has done a lot of things to make the facility a respectful place. He talked about dignity through the jail. At first we had to wait in the garage because they were booking someone in by the time we were going to go in. He wanted the person that was getting booked have some privacy space. We should wait because we don’t need to know what they did to be in there. He talked about the relationship between the officers and the inmates. He explained why females officer has to strip search the female inmates and male officers have to strip search male inmates. This is followed by the PREA law. PREA stands for Prison Rap Elimination Act. This means that the inmates or any other person would not be sexualy abused by another person. He said if the inmates need to show respect to the officer and the officer should show respect to the inmates. This is a really big deal because they both need to be respectful to each other so there are no grudges. The officers and inmates need social skills to make the jail a better place. The officer and inmates needs communication skills. Communication skills is a good thing because if the inmate is hurt then they can tell the officer what is going on. Also the officer needs this skill because then they can try to find away to help the inmate out if they are having a hard time. In the jail, the sheriff now has programs where the inmates can connect with each other to have better life skills in the future. They are trying to get a program for women that will teach them how to be a better mom and get a job when they get out. They also have a male life group that helps them have better life skills to get a job and not be violent out on the streets.They have several health services for inmates that needs it. They have social workers that help mental health issues that are on watch. They try to figure out a way to help them when the inmates have a break down. Softball002
According to an article from Psychology today inmates, guards and prison workers were in a relationship alongside the social workers and correctional officers are at a higher risk of criminal charges and job loss due to having a relationship with inmates. First it occurs so often that new hires are given detailed warnings about scenarios that can arise, from romances to smuggling in contraband (drugs, tradeable items, miscellanea). Meaning that correctional officers, social workers, and inmates get involved in relationships with each other because inmates tend to seek attention because they want to use that person and get what they need and the relationship would in some cases result in the criminal charges. When it comes to inmates in relationship with correctional officers and social workers it would result in job loss fines and chares of that crime meaning not only they get themselves in trouble but it turn out that most of the workers and inmates would have their way with each other. Another article that I looked up from Journalist’ Resource from Kristina Mastropasqua (October 16, 2015) in this article it was talking about prisoners and prison staff engaging in sexual relationship meaning that inmates and the prison staff engage in activities and the problem is that what little do some prison staff may or may not know is that the authorities warn them not to get involved in the inmates because if they did it could be bad for not just the inmate but for the jail staff as well. The reason why that is a warning to not just jail staff but to social workers and correctional officers as well because it would go on the not just the inmates’ record it would also go on the person who did it on their record as well because it would cause more damage. When one person makes a violation it would also result in criminal charges because not only will it worst but also the effect of the relationship with the inmate means that the inmate will try to lower the jail staff’s guard and would ultimately try to escape or get away with the crime. Finally when I went to the trip to perioral count jail Brain Asbell also mention that one the staff of the jail were in a relationship with an inmate and when he mention it. After the trip I was doing research on what Brian Asbell said and then I did research on it and what I found about it is that not only the inmate gets in trouble the person also gets in trouble meaning that it would go on the person’s record and the charges will be that the inmate and that person would be a sexual crime that they commited. zen002
Going to the Peoria county jail was very big for me, also the juvenile correctional center as well, because that is what I want to do, is corrections with juveniles, and eventually move up into a jail. The Sheriff really taught me a lot, and gave me more of an understanding of how not just the system works but how he does his job and keeps his jail in line. The Sheriff stated that 60% of prisoners are not bad people. The other which is 40% need to be in prison, like child molesters, rapist. He states that if any inmate doesn't any type of remorse that really scares him. Which is should worry anyone, due to the fact that if these individuals are release back into society it can really be damaging. Even though these people committed crimes, at the end of the day these are human beings, and they deserve to be treated as such. The county jail is really trying to help better these inmates in so many ways. Having programs for women and men to help rehabilitate them. Providing full staff for the mentally ill, is amazing. I like this above all he was talking about, only because majority of people in prison have some form of a mental illness. Instead of just housing them in jail, they are actually giving them help from psychiatrists. Sheriff Asbel mention was that even though inmates are not allowed outside there are given a chance to go into the day room to play cards, dominoes and just hang out. Going into the day room is certainly not a requirement and he let that be known. It helps with the tension in jail. I really enjoyed going and defiantly would go again. I know this is the career I want to do, and the tours just showed me even more. SH002
In the U.S. on average, 10.6 million people are sent to jail at least once every year. This statistic shows the sheer amount of people who have that cold steel gate close in front of their eyes and there's nothing they can do about it. Some deserved to see that while others did not but it's just the cold reality of the criminal justice system that we operate on in today's world. It's not a misconception to say that there are people in this world that deserve to be behind bars for the rest of their lives, but does that mean they deserve to be treated like dogs? Some people may say yes due to the fact that they chose their fate nine times out of 10, but others argue that their heart beats the same way that citizens outside the bars do. I stand with those who know that all humans are humans. We are all constructed the same as one another but we all act differently. Even though some people do wrong in their lives, doesn't mean it gives people like me the right to look down on them in anyway. I cannot say that im totally unbiased however, because I think a man or a woman who abuses a child sexually in any manner is an animal and the lowest scum of the Earth. I don't think I am a terrible person for thinking that either. With that being said, my opinion has nothing to do with my profession. I have chosen a profession to serve and protect people regardless of their identity or crimes committed. During the many jail tours that I have attended, I admired Sheriff Asbell on his compassion and respect for every single human being that steps foot on his facility floors. I am confident that he is truly committed to the well being and the rehabilitation of his inmates in that facility. Jail is already hard enough, but when you get stuck with a Sheriff that doesn't have the same beliefs as Peoria Counties current sheriff, it creates a very difficult environment to really change the way you think and act as a convicted criminal. The entire goal is to change the way the person thinks about crime and help them become the person that they want to be and what society wants them to be, Not to punish them and make them angrier and more hostile than before they came in. FIRE002
ReplyDeleteDuring our tour of the Peoria County Jail, Sheriff Asbell mentioned that the population of the jail was hovering around 250-300 inmates in the jail currently. What really struck me was when he said that when Sheriff McCoy was managing the jail, the population was well over 500-600 inmates. What really struck me was Sheriff Asbell’s efforts to cut down the population and how he was going about it. He told us multiple times that one of his goals were to get the good people out of jail as quickly as possible and to treat them nicely while they were in there. The big thing that really hit me was how he was going about taking care of mentally ill people in jail, He said that nearly 80% of people in the jail had some form of mental illness and that if you came in without some form of remorse or illness, that you were a sociopath or a psychopath. It’s really unfortunate that mentally ill people in jails today aren’t getting the proper care that they not only need but deserve and I’m glad Sheriff Asbell is willing to rock the boat. If you’re not caring for those people, then how can you claim that you are “rehabilitating” them, when as soon as they get out, they won’t be able fit in with society and will most likely reoffend. Another great thing that Sheriff Asbell is doing is treating everyone with respect, even the bad inmates. Doing this will most likely cut down on tension in the jail and will give the officers in the jail the chance to help the inmates instead of just watching them. Hiring full-time psychologists is a great start for caring for the folks with mental illness and giving the guards the chance to interact with the inmates can create good relationships with them, knowing that the guards are there to help them. I also like how Sheriff Asbell said that all of his patrol officers start out in the jail. This gives the officers the training on how to be respectful and how to interact with people who are different than them. It also proves that you can handle the responsibility of having a gun on you out in the street. If you can’t handle the jail, then you will not handle being on the street. All in all, I really like what Sheriff Asbell is doing and how he is embracing positive change in our criminal justice system, by starting out where it matters most, in our jail system. OUTATIME002
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I most appreciated about the tour led through Peoria County Jail was the attitude and values of Sheriff McCoy. In such a polarized political landscape he is able to secure the elected position of sheriff appealing to both republicans and democrats because of his effective corrections strategies, strategies which made themselves seen within the very first minutes of the tour and lasted until its end. One of the first things I noticed was the sheriffs perspective on maintaining his prisoners dignity. He did not want them to feel like an animal trapped in a zoo and waited patiently as a new arrival was booked and processed. He believes so much in the concept of dignity he sacrifices the possible seizure of contraband in belief of it, never strip searching a newly arrested person when he does not find it necessary. He now only searches those who know they are coming to prison, believing they are more likely to smuggle in contraband. He was proud of a great many things he has enacted in the jail, featuring one such as crack down on putting people in isolation, a punishment he believes does more harm than good. This crackdown includes extra paperwork, rounds every 15 minutes for every hour, psych consultations and many more pieces of red tape. Another thing he is attempting to improve at his jail includes having 24hr psych-care available for all prisoners, as many of them in there suffer from some form of mental illness. Whenever he thought we may find something uncomfortable, like the prisoners sleeping on the floor or the putrid smell of the jail commons, he took the moment to address them to us. I feel the attitude of the jail was as positive as it could be, the corrections officers and the prisoners themselves were cordial with the sheriff and I feel like this is only possible by achieving that level of dignity he aspires so highly to. Many times he repeated that he believes in respect. In his opinion it does not matter who you are talking to, either him, a CO, or a prisoner, you will treat them all with the same mutual respect you'd give him. We did not get to finish the tour with sheriff McCoy however, as he had to leave on a personal errand involving the termination of an employee. A rare care he informed us, but since this employee was known to be behaving poorly and lying, breaking codes of trust, he did not want to keep him and did not want such an untrustworthy individual interacting with his prisoners. -CamSlifton002
ReplyDeleteThe American criminal justice system holds almost 2.3 million people in 1,719 state prisons, 109 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,163 local jails, and 80 Indian Country jails as well as in military prisons, immigration detention facilities, civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in the U.S. Being locked up is already hard enough especially dealing with all the things that come along with jails and prisons. Sheriff Brian Asbell makes it a little easier for these inmates to spend their time while in the jail. While we were on the jail tour we saw someone in the process of being booked in. Sheriff Asbell wanted to make sure that he still had his dignity and respect while this was happening to the inmate. He also said that while they are in the beginning stage of being booked in that he wanted he or she to be able to bond out by calling as many people as possible. Most places only give you that one phone call. But what if they dont answer how will you be able to get out that night. Sheriff Asbell talked about how the people that were in there are just like me. He or she just made stupid decisions but they got caught and I did not. Which is true because so many people in the world look at people who came from jail or prison like the scum of the earth. When in fact they did the same exact crime before when they were younger. It's a good thing that they have programs for people with mental health. A lot of people who are arrested has some form of mental health. No matter if it's depression or if its drug use problems. Going into jail that inmate will have a lot of time to think. Why not help that person be better so they don't re offend? They will be a better person not just for themselves but for the people around them. I also liked when he said that when he hires new people they have to start in the jail because he or she needs to know how to deescalate a situation without having a gun on there hip. Which a lot of officers need to start doing because so many people are being killed because the officer is so quick to use that gun. Now I understand that you don't know what you are walking up to when you are pulling someone over or going to there house. But some situations can be fixed without using a weapon. Such as a taser and pepper spray but the biggest thing is using your words. Batman002
ReplyDeleteBeginning the tour, Sheriff Asbell stated that 286 inmates were currently incarcerated in Peoria County Jail. In earlier years, the incarceration amount were almost double that, upwarding up to 600 inmates. As we were moving on in the tour in the Sally Port, we waited a few short moments as an inmate was being booked. The sheriff explained before the tour that this isn't simply a Zoo. This tour was to inform us and acknowledge us about the different rules and regulations of the jail, what happens inside. This showed a lot coming from Sheriff Asbell. This showed dignity, it showed as we waited for the inmate to be booked so the inmate can be confidential as in what's going on inside the inmates life. This gave the respect to the individual showing that these people are exactly like we are, stated later in the tour by Sheriff Asbell. While waiting, the Sheriff also explained, 60% of people made a mistake and 40% truly belong here. Putting this into my own words, I understood that he was meaning, everyone makes mistakes, and these certain people are just like us. We then moved into middle hallway. This separates the new buildings and the old buildings, the new building being built in ‘98. Sheriff Asbell moves us into the Womens pod where we begin to talk about integrity of his officers and the integrity of the inmates. Explaining the women's pods and the differences between the mens pod, he explains the men correctional officers will never work the womens pod, but at times, women correctional officers will work on mens pod due to lack of officers or anything else. Again, giving dignity to the female inmates hindering them from being cohoresed into sexual abuse with male correctional officers, allowing them to do their sentence without obstacles like these come in the way. Although, the PREA law being a factor in that, Sheriff Asbell still made certain he would not allow that anyway. Sheriff Asbell also explained a thing called “chores”. This was covering the hygiene of the inmates, and the cleanliness to the quarters they live in. I'm not certain if this is a requirement in all jails, but I am certain that Asbell, made sure these people are taken care of during their stay. He stated that a simple sickness can travel within the pod in days. Lastly, this shows true dignity to the inmates as Sheriff Asbell gives them that window to take care of their hygiene and to make somewhat, normal as possible. -as2000
ReplyDeleteIn the US. there is about an average of 2.2 million people incarcerated in jails which leads to what I am going to talk about next. My corrections classmates and I took a tour with Sheriff Brian Asbell at the Peoria County Jail a couple days ago. Sheriff Brian Asbelll explained that when he got there, there was about five to six hundred inmates in the jail fast forward to now he has been able to bring that number down to about two hundred something. I think that is so great because they less people in jail the better. The thing that I learned a lot about is Sheriff Asbells character that day. I learned about how well he treats everyone that comes into his jail. From the moment we got to the jail I saw how much respect he had with everyone. When we walked over from the main area to the booking area he made sure that we did not go in because someone was being booked and he did not want to make it like a show around that person being booked. He waited until that person was done being booked until we walked in to start our tour. When we got in and stopped by the holding area he started talking about the hallway where they hold those who are on suicide watch. Along with that he mentioned how that when he got on he made sure that he was able to get mental health services for the inmate. He realized that jail is a scary thing and it can mess with others minds and also worsen those who already have those issues. Mental illness is a growing thing and being able to get those services to these people in jail is going to help the situation so much more. I like how he had a separate area for those on suicide watch because he wants to keep these people safe because most that are in jail are just like us. Another thing he told us was that he does not strip search everyone all the time, he knows that more contraband will be in the jails but he cares about others enough that he does not want to strip everyone naked all the time. He treats them like individuals which is great. One thing that really stood out to me was when he made sure to mention that we should not stare at the inmates like we were at a zoo or a circus. He made sure that we did not make the inmates feel like less of a person. One last thing, I love how he has programs for the inmates to be able to develop better skills for when they go back into the community. Over all, I really enjoyed listening to Asbell talk about what he does for the inmates and what he has done for the jail. -wags002
ReplyDeleteAccording to the New York Times, as of April 2, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that officials may perform strip searches on any arrested officials by a vote of 5-to-4. This means that even someone arrested for a traffic offense can be, by law, stripped naked and searched for any contraband on their person. On Monday, October 28, 2019, I met a sheriff who refuses to allow this law in the jail he supervises.
ReplyDeleteSheriff Brian Asbell of the Peoria County Jail allowed me and my fellow students to take a tour of his jail and he informed us on how he prefers to run jails. What I learned from this is that, compared to most other sheriffs in the United States, he is an anomaly. Sheriff Asbell refuses to allow strip searches on every arrested individual so that their dignity may be respected. Of course if the arrestee was brought in for drug charges, violence, etc., he does expect a strip search to prevent unnecessary contraband from entering a cell; however, if an arrested individual is compliant and does not seem to pose a threat, Sheriff Asbell is willing to take the risk of potential items on that person to enter the cell in order to maintain their dignity.
I personally believe this should be practiced around the country because it is embarrassing and demeaning to be stripped down to nothing and be searched when the arrest was only for a warrant because of an unpaid ticket. Being arrested and jailed can be humiliating enough to someone who made an innocent and/or stupid mistake, let alone being stripped not only of their clothes but their dignity as well. As far as dignity goes for the class tour, Sheriff Asbell reiterated to us that we were entering a jail not a zoo and to treat those in their as humans and not a show. We went in as someone was being booked and he refused to let us in until it was finished to give the person respect and privacy. Sheriff Asbell, as well as my professor Dr. Earl White, continuously reminds me and my entire class that most of those in jail are normal people who messed up and got caught. I thought about that a lot throughout the tour and it made me happy to see that Sheriff Asbell and his jail staff really practice what they preach and treat the inmates like human beings and not animals.
The whole tour was very mind-opening and I am extremely impressed with how the jail is ran. –Gamma002
There is nearly 2.3 million people in the United States being incarcerated and Peoria County Sheriff is trying to bring this number down within our community. Sheriff Brian Asbell is not your typical sheriff. He has changed a lot around the Peoria County jail for the greater. When we went to the jail Monday night I heard a lot about dignity. The first thing that really stood out to me was how he waited out in the garage area while an inmate was being booked. He told us over and over again that sixty percent of the people in the jail were just like everyone else but they made a mistake. I also hear this a lot in class. Sheriff Brian Asbell also wanted us to treat everyone with respect. He stated that it does not matter if we are talking to him or an inmate, we should talk to them in the same manner. Sheriff Brian Asbell also mentioned his thoughts about being striped search. He accepted of extra contraband entering the jail in order to keep someone’s dignity. He stated that the only people who need to be striped search were the ones that either turned themselves in or the people who knew they were coming to jail. Sheriff Brian Asbell has also added many things for the inmate too. He hired a nurse twenty-four hours each day. He included mental health too. He stated that eighty percent of the inmates have some sort of mental health, and if they don’t have mental health then they are psychopaths that needs to be in jail. Beside the mental health and medical services, Sheriff Brian Asbell establish a reentry program for the inmates. This is a good thing because when many of these inmates get released into society, they have nothing, no job, no money, no housing, and no transportation. This will often lead to reoffending and going back to jail. Sheriff Brian Asbell is trying to stop this from happening because it cost over eighty dollars per day to hold an inmate and this money comes from taxpayers. It is an endless cycle that Sheriff Brian Asbell is trying to change using these programs. He also teaches the inmate social skill sets. For example, when we were in the pod he talked about the inmates daily routines. He explained that before the inmates got to watch TV or play games, they had to do personal hygiene and keep their area and the common area. I think Sheriff Brian Asbell has done a lot of good things around out jail and I’m excited to see what else he changes for the better. -ju002
ReplyDeleteRoughly six out of ten people do not need to be in jail. They are locked up because of petty crimes. Most people in jail are like you and me, they are just people that had a bad break. One of Sheriff Asbell biggest things is treating everyone with respect and dignity no matter what crime they are accused or guilty for. Sheriff Asbell started his career as the sheriff when the population was around 600 people. Since his start he has cut that population by half. He believes that most people do not need to be in jail. He knows that those that most that are locked up just made a mistake. We all make mistakes but the difference between us and those that are in jail is that they got caught. Most in jail suffer from some sort of mental illness or health problem. Those that suffer from a disease shouldn't be punished for something that we all could get caught doing. Asbell knows this that's why he has set up full time mental health staff to help those in need. About 40% of the jail population are those that deserve to be locked up. Some people are just born different and don't think the same way as a “normal” person. Asbell wants everyone to be treated with respect and dignity because they are people, they could be awaiting trial for a crime that they did not commit. I did not go on the tour, but from what it sounds like is that he didn't want you staring at the inmates because they could have only been in there for a day but in our eyes we think they are a murderer. Even those that deserve to be locked up they are still human beings and the least we can all do is give them the respect that humans deserve. People make mistakes and some get caught for it. Just because they got caught and are behind bars doesn't mean they don't deserve to be treated like a human being. Strip searching is another thing that Asbell is big into. If the person is caught with drugs or paraphernalia they are strip searched because they might have more on them. The people caught on, say a DUI they are not strip searched they are just patted down because they do not need to be violated when the guards have nor reason to strip search them. I believe they everyone deserves respect because they are human just like the rest of us. -wb002
ReplyDeleteAccording to Sbs.gov Valletta states, “ there are over 2.3 million Americans currently in prison. There are over 1 million arrests per year for drug possession, This statistic is a little unsettling when you consider it’s approximately four times greater than the amount of arrests for drug sales, and is one of the focuses of VICE’s special report.” Today, I will discuss Sheriff Asbel jail tour and dignity. Even though these prisoners have committed crimes ranging from violent to drug possession, One thing that stood out was how much Sheriff Asbel respected the inmates. During the tour he explained how a person does not need to be searched unless there are arrested for drug possession or crimes involving a weapon. I find this interesting because most officers will be very quick to search for a person with no probable cause hoping they find something, which can lead to lawsuits. Another thing that stood out to me the most was how Sheriff Asbel has alot of programs for the inmates such as GED programs, food sanitation license and ect. This is actually caught me by surprise because inmates are giving different opportunities to better their lives. The third thing that was very interesting to me was that Asbel has a psychologist coming in at least four hours a week to talk to inmates. This is very important for the inmates because in my criminal justice 114 class we have discussed how the large population of people locked up in prisons have mental illnesses. I believe that the psychologist should certainly be there 24 hours a day, and that is something Asbel is working on. The fourth thing that Asbel mention was that even though inmates are not allowed outside there are given a chance to go into the day room to play cards, dominoes and just hang out. Going into the day room is certainly not a requirement and he let that be known. Last but not least, I love how the inmates and the officers build bonds and close relationships. It helps with the tension in jail. I think having an appropriate bond with an officer as an inmate is very important because the officers are there to help. Overall, the jail tour was extremely worth it. Going into this tour I thought that jail was a horrible place for inmates, but in reality peoria jail is not that bad. There are programs, and officers there who are willing to go the extra mile to protect their privacy. -jas002
ReplyDeleteWhen Sheriff Asbell first started in the Peoria County Jail, the jail population was in the five to six hundred range. Today the jail population is down to the mid two hundreds, and this can be thanks to Sheriff Asbell. Sheriff Asbell is huge on treating every inmate with dignity, because at the end of the day everyone is human. People make mistakes in life, and most of the inmates in their are truly good people. Sheriff Asbell made an estimation that sixty percent of the inmates in the jail are good people who messed up one time. A lot of these inmates that are good people can be placed in jail for offenses that they aren’t one hundred percent their fault. On the other hand there are the forty percent of inmates who are truly guilty, and deserve to spend time behind bars. No matter what category the inmates fall under Sheriff Asbell demands that himself and his correctional officers treat every inmate with respect. With this being said, Sheriff Asbell also expects to receive this same respect back. As soon as we got to the jail Sheriff Asbell had us wait outside so someone could be booked. This goes hand in hand with respect for the inmate entering the jail. During the first couple of minutes of the jail tour Sheriff Asbell explained to us that he doesn’t want us staring at the inmates, because they are not animals to be observed. Most jails do a strip search of everyone who is booked into the jail to ensure that they don’t have any weapons or drugs on them. The Peoria County Jail however does not do this anymore, because Sheriff Asbell feels that this violates people's natural human rights. Many people that come through those doors could have committed an offense as low as not paying a traffic violation. Sheriff Asbell recognizes these facts, so that's a major reason for ending the strip search. The last few examples really show that Sheriff Asbell practices what he preaches on respect. I thought it was very impressive that every since Sheriff Asbell was working in the jails nobody on suicide watch has ever successfully committed suicide. There has be suicide cases in the jail, but these cases happened to people that weren’t on suicide watch. When we attended the jail nobody was on suicide watch, but if there was there would be a red sheet up on the wall by the suicide watch cells. Overall the jail tour was a great learning opportunity, and opened my eyes up to how a jail should be ran. -CRJB002
ReplyDeleteThe average cost of an inmate per year that is incarcerated is $33,507. We often look over these institutions, and think well these people are criminals we shouldn’t worry about them. They our out of sight out of mind. What we fail to see is that these offenders that are locked up are just like us. We all have the chance of becoming one of these people, because something small like having a few too many drinks, can become a year in jail.
ReplyDeleteAs a community, and society we have to look to jails like the peoria county jail. This jail shows off, and has a reason to. The ACA or American Corrections Association, has only accredited 1,300 facilities across the world. This shows how they have strived for a relative perfection. The facility is run by Sheriff Asbell. Asbell also has an idea that many other normal facilities dont share. Asbell believes in dignity. He believes that every offender should be treated with respect. Asbell presented that roughly 6 out of 10 of the offenders in his facility are normal people just like me and you. That these aren’t violent criminals that need to be locked up. He shows that he truly believes in this idea of dignity by not searching offenders that surrender to his jail, for things like passed tickets, and small nonviolent offenses. He provides a feeling of respect and this has the potential to create a safer place for not only the offenders, but the correctional officers as well. When these offenders aren’t stripped of their individual identity they have the ability to keep sanity, and hopefully one day come back to our population, and once again become a productive member of society. He also helps to keep these offenders healthy by providing mental health treatment, and a psychologist for the prison to help them with proper diagnosis and treatment for these people. This helps with the idea of recidivism which is the idea of an offender committing a crime then finishing the sentence to only come back again. Providing the correct treatment while they’re locked up can help to reduce the possibility of recidivism. Asbell promotes a positive relationship between the less serious criminals in the jail, so that this provides a form of dignity, and safety between the two. Overall Sheriff Asbell does not want these less serious criminals, the you and I type of criminals to suffer. This shows us how we could provide more forward thinkers to our corrections systems. Asbell has generated a new idea in jails, and that's the idea of dignity and respect. He has made some angry, and some don’t like it, but the best part of this is the result. JORG002
Going through the Peoria County Jail with Sheriff Brian Asbell was a great experience and taught all of us quite a bit. One item in particular we had learned about was dignity. It is extremely important to treat every single individual with dignity. When we had first arrived at the jail and started our tour, I remember that there was a person who was going to be entered into the jail and they had to be strip searched. It was interesting how the Sheriff waited for the search to finish and made sure we could not see in order to give him the respect and the dignity he is owed. I do not believe most people who work in or run jails would think twice about letting us see the inmate. I thought it was great that Sheriff Asbell does not have a blanket policy on strip searches. As he had stated, people do stupid things and do not always require a strip search. He said that people who know they are going to jail, turn themselves in, and those whose crime was related to drugs, violence, or weapons will get strip search which is very reasonable. But, someone who comes in on something like a speeding ticket will not unless it warrants it. It mostly seems like common sense. There are several reasons we must show dignity to the men and women who enter jail. These are human beings not animals. I am sure most people do not enjoy having people stare them down and like a little bit of privacy. We do not know these people’s entire backgrounds and they may be extremely uncomfortable with the idea of strip searches. Asbell said that most people who enter the jail have some sort of treatable mental illness. With that being said, we should treat everyone with respect and dignity because we do not know what they could be going through. If we treat everyone that way then it will most likely lead to a better relationship between inmates and correctional officers and a better environment for everyone. We have to remember that the inmates of our correctional facilities are human beings with emotions and needs and should be treated as such. These people are usually people who have struggled a good portion of their life and do not need more things to add to the stress of life and the situation they are in. –arm002
ReplyDeleteGoing to the Peoria County jail I really learned a lot from the Sheriff and the way the jail works. It was more than just a tour visit to me, I got several life lessons from him. Dignity is the most important thing to have in general, but especially in this line of work. The Sheriff stated that 60% of prisoners are not bad people. I really agree with what he is saying, people are not perfect and tend to get themselves in situations they never thought they would. For example, take someone who is selling weed to support himself or his family is not a bad person. People makes mistakes that lands them in positions that are incriminating. The other which is 40% need to be in prison, like child molesters, rapist. He states that if any inmate doesn't any type of remorse that really scares him. Which is should worry anyone, due to the fact that if these individuals are release back into society it can really be damaging. Having respect for people and treating people how you want to be treated is always a must in life. Being surrounded by criminals of all types deserve to be treated in a fair way. It really doesn't help being a corrections officer and not being able to do their job in right way because of their attitude towards certain inmates.At the end of the day these are human beings, and they deserve to be treated as such. The county jail is really trying to help better these inmates in so many ways. Having programs for women and men to help rehabilitate them. Providing full staff for the mentally ill, is amazing. I like this above all he was talking about, only because majority of people in prison have some form of a mental illness. Instead of just housing them in jail, they are actually giving them help from psychiatrists. Allowing this to happen makes it easier for those particular inmates to get a better understanding for others around them. By providing this in the jail is another example of dignity, it shows that he cares enough to want to see these inmates to be better. He gave a good example of dignity, when he was firing someone he didn't have it. In this field of work its very important to have it. People in this job have a power of authority and can often abuse this. That's why is important to be honest, and have respect for others around you.The PRIA act is also another way to help reduce lack of respect. Seeing someone getting violated and saying anything rather its an inmate or officer is not acceptable. Just having morals and respect for others goes a long way in the jail. Having a good relationship between the inmates is a plus that way they can show you respect and vice versa. -zw002
ReplyDeleteThe average cost of an inmate per year is 33,507. That is a lot of money considering the state of Illinois is in a massive amount of debt and to be frank, no one wants to sit in jail for a long duration of time. That is why sherriff Asbell is liked by so many local peorians because of his commitment to dignity, and integrity no matter the individual. My professor Doctor White absolutely raves about this man, and as I learned during my tour at the Peoria County Jail it was for good reason. The way Mr. Asbell presents himself you can not help but feel this prestigious personna emitting from him. His colleagues as well could not help but show great respect and appreciation for the things he is trying to accomplish as Peoria County sheriff. When we first arrived at the jail he greeted us and gave us an overview of the tour. We were a little delayed at first because the sheriff did not want us to interrupt an ongoing booking. As we entered the room all the employees instantly seemed energized and even more ready to work. It was because either their boss just walked in the door, or that is just the standard they are held inside the career of enforcement in this county. We later got to look at some housing units for the women and got to see one of the gyms for the inmates. Mr. Asbell insured to us that no one in the jail is treated without respect in this jail including the inmates. That stood out to me because growing up the only time you got to see prisoners were in shows and movies and they were always treated like they did not matter to anyone, and that they were just animals. I felt like that narrative was being re-written with the way our jail handles inmates from the ones being freshly booked in, to the ones who have been there for sometime. The sheriff had to leave us to tend to an ongoing issue he had to resolve so he let the captain of our patrol unit finish off our Q&A. Besides the facts about his career it seemed like he was most into talking about his views towards Mr. Asbells work. And the things he is working on to improve our broken CRJ system. I can not wait to meet him again and learn and soak in his ways of integrity, dignity, and leadership. wiseguy002
ReplyDeleteNearly 540,000 people are behind bars that have not even been convicted or sentenced yet. Many people are locked up are in due to poverty, mental health issues, or substance abuse. Such a large population is sitting in lock up, because they can not afford to bail themselves out. Sheriff Asbell makes it a clear point that just because people are imprisoned, that does not mean that they are any different from us. People are locked up for silly mistakes and even serious offenses. Depending on what someone did to get locked up, it should reflect the process. If someone gets arrested for something such as a traffic violation, Asbell does not feel it is completely necessary to do an entire search. Not everyone needs to go through a strip search even though the Peoria County Jail has the right to strip search anyone to enter the facility. The Peoria County Jail is an accredited jail, and Sheriff Asbell takes pride in that. There is no need to make people feel small when they are not someone who seriously needs searched. I like how Asbell really does want the people locked up to be treated fairly during their stay. The greater majority of people in jail will come out of being locked up and we need to see it as such. While being behind bars the mind diminishes, many struggling with mental health issues, struggle harder. I thought it was interesting to walk past the solitary confinement rooms where an inmate can be safely held if they are on suicide watch or a threat to themselves. Someone on suicide watch has to be checked on much more often than normal inmates for safety reasons. To show that someone is on suicide watch a red sheet will be placed next to the door. To ensure that they do not hurt themselves, the inmate is stipped down and given a tearable cloth to cover themselves. Nobody sits in jail for an incredibly long amount of time or under a single year. In order for those in jail to earn free time they have to do chores and finish them to a whole. Chores may include daily hygiene and cleaning up the areas that they might use. The end goal is to get people back out into society. It is never the goal to hold people longer than necessary. It is important to keep people feeling like people till they can return to normal life.
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In the United States, about 10.3 million people were arrested for all offenses in 2018. The arrest rate for all offenses was also high in 2017, there were 3,152.6 arrests for every 100,000 residents. Normally, the police officers are evaluated on how many arrests they make or how many tickets they give out which would explain the high arrest rates. Brian Asbel did something different when he came into position and eliminated those evaluations because “there’s no way to count how many times an officer has a positive interaction with someone in the community.” Sheriff Asbel knows just how much it means to be seen as trustworthy and respectful in the eyes of the citizens. The average jail population while Sheriff McCoy was in office was roughly 500-600 people on a daily basis. The daily population on average as of now is nearly half of what it used to be. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect upon arrival at the jail Monday night; I didn’t know just how many inmates, if any, we would come in contact with or see. As we were lead into the booking area of the jail, Sheriff Asbel had us wait outside until they finished up the process and the person was not in view. This is one of the many areas where dignity and respect for others came into play that night. He really explained the importance of having respect for the inmates especially because at the end of the day they’re just like us except they got caught for their bad decisions and mistakes. Asbel said many times that 60% of the people in jail are good people; his undersheriff who took over towards the end of the night even said he’d seen some of his family members in there. Which is why it is so important for the correctional officers to have respect while talking to and dealing with the inmates. Sheriff Asbel has put so much time and effort into making sure the inmates have proper mental health care and counseling, something most people may not think of. I was so surprised to hear someone with so much power demand respect for the inmates and other people in the jail. Most people in that position tend to use their power and high rank as a lever to treat people poorly and it made me so happy to know that he is not one of those people. Sheriff Brian Asbel has been a blessing to Peoria county and the sheriff’s department in many ways; I hope others in the surrounding areas learn from his behavior and take proper action as well.
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According to the Peoria Journal Star (August 27, 2016), is in an article about how minorities are more likely to be arrested and imprisoned. African Americans in Peoria County, I make up a large percentage of the prison population compared to whites. In the article due to the social, economic, and physical segregation most African Americans were getting pulled over a lot. Most of the community that live deeper in the city feel like they are targeted more and that officer friendly is not that all welcoming. Besides traffic stops there are the drugs busts which lead straight to the jail. Sheriff Asbell got elected to reduce the inmate population down to half then the previous administration. He said at the beginning he had over 600+ inmates when the jail was only designed for half that. But slowly with his introduction of programs including mental and medical help his idea was to get the inmates with the slightest infractions against the law he was holding out on bail. His idea was that most that come into the jail are innocent. They just screwed up and unless proven guilty ought to get a second chance. Also, if most were able to get on bail this would have reduced the population and keep the cost of holding someone imprisoned. The Sheriff believes that if you treat a prisoner with dignity and respect they should in response do the same but that doesn’t happen all the time. Since he has been in charge, there has been a system reform to keep the prisoners busy such as doing chores around the facility to keep the place clean and in return they get free time either as extra time to stay up later, to additional time on phone call, or extra viewing time on the television. His main focus was to keep the violence down and process the inmates on a safely manner. Sheriff Asbell is turning out to run such a tight supervised routine with his officers that most have a high retention and want to stay on or some other departments highly regard his staff from their training that they prefer to hire a guard from this department then most others. He doesn’t want you in the jail system he just wants to run a fair system and keep the bad guys locked up and run an efficient system and keep the innocent free. Navy002
ReplyDeleteI have been on the tour three times for my class. I can see a difference when I went last time. People that are in the jail are just like us, the only thing that they did was something petty and that is why they got locked up. The sheriff has done a lot of things to make the facility a respectful place. He talked about dignity through the jail. At first we had to wait in the garage because they were booking someone in by the time we were going to go in. He wanted the person that was getting booked have some privacy space. We should wait because we don’t need to know what they did to be in there. He talked about the relationship between the officers and the inmates. He explained why females officer has to strip search the female inmates and male officers have to strip search male inmates. This is followed by the PREA law. PREA stands for Prison Rap Elimination Act. This means that the inmates or any other person would not be sexualy abused by another person. He said if the inmates need to show respect to the officer and the officer should show respect to the inmates. This is a really big deal because they both need to be respectful to each other so there are no grudges. The officers and inmates need social skills to make the jail a better place. The officer and inmates needs communication skills. Communication skills is a good thing because if the inmate is hurt then they can tell the officer what is going on. Also the officer needs this skill because then they can try to find away to help the inmate out if they are having a hard time. In the jail, the sheriff now has programs where the inmates can connect with each other to have better life skills in the future. They are trying to get a program for women that will teach them how to be a better mom and get a job when they get out. They also have a male life group that helps them have better life skills to get a job and not be violent out on the streets.They have several health services for inmates that needs it. They have social workers that help mental health issues that are on watch. They try to figure out a way to help them when the inmates have a break down. Softball002
ReplyDeleteAccording to an article from Psychology today inmates, guards and prison workers were in a relationship alongside the social workers and correctional officers are at a higher risk of criminal charges and job loss due to having a relationship with inmates. First it occurs so often that new hires are given detailed warnings about scenarios that can arise, from romances to smuggling in contraband (drugs, tradeable items, miscellanea). Meaning that correctional officers, social workers, and inmates get involved in relationships with each other because inmates tend to seek attention because they want to use that person and get what they need and the relationship would in some cases result in the criminal charges. When it comes to inmates in relationship with correctional officers and social workers it would result in job loss fines and chares of that crime meaning not only they get themselves in trouble but it turn out that most of the workers and inmates would have their way with each other. Another article that I looked up from Journalist’ Resource from Kristina Mastropasqua (October 16, 2015) in this article it was talking about prisoners and prison staff engaging in sexual relationship meaning that inmates and the prison staff engage in activities and the problem is that what little do some prison staff may or may not know is that the authorities warn them not to get involved in the inmates because if they did it could be bad for not just the inmate but for the jail staff as well. The reason why that is a warning to not just jail staff but to social workers and correctional officers as well because it would go on the not just the inmates’ record it would also go on the person who did it on their record as well because it would cause more damage. When one person makes a violation it would also result in criminal charges because not only will it worst but also the effect of the relationship with the inmate means that the inmate will try to lower the jail staff’s guard and would ultimately try to escape or get away with the crime. Finally when I went to the trip to perioral count jail Brain Asbell also mention that one the staff of the jail were in a relationship with an inmate and when he mention it. After the trip I was doing research on what Brian Asbell said and then I did research on it and what I found about it is that not only the inmate gets in trouble the person also gets in trouble meaning that it would go on the person’s record and the charges will be that the inmate and that person would be a sexual crime that they commited. zen002
ReplyDeleteGoing to the Peoria county jail was very big for me, also the juvenile correctional center as well, because that is what I want to do, is corrections with juveniles, and eventually move up into a jail. The Sheriff really taught me a lot, and gave me more of an understanding of how not just the system works but how he does his job and keeps his jail in line. The Sheriff stated that 60% of prisoners are not bad people. The other which is 40% need to be in prison, like child molesters, rapist. He states that if any inmate doesn't any type of remorse that really scares him. Which is should worry anyone, due to the fact that if these individuals are release back into society it can really be damaging. Even though these people committed crimes, at the end of the day these are human beings, and they deserve to be treated as such. The county jail is really trying to help better these inmates in so many ways. Having programs for women and men to help rehabilitate them. Providing full staff for the mentally ill, is amazing. I like this above all he was talking about, only because majority of people in prison have some form of a mental illness. Instead of just housing them in jail, they are actually giving them help from psychiatrists. Sheriff Asbel mention was that even though inmates are not allowed outside there are given a chance to go into the day room to play cards, dominoes and just hang out. Going into the day room is certainly not a requirement and he let that be known. It helps with the tension in jail. I really enjoyed going and defiantly would go again. I know this is the career I want to do, and the tours just showed me even more. SH002
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