FLORENCE, N.S. — A team of men work quickly to clean up what looks like construction trash strewn through a wooded area along some backroads off the highway past Florence.
The roads are obviously well used and it’s obvious the garbage was recently dumped.
Cape Breton Regional Police Const. Arnold McKinnon, the officer dedicated to investigating these sites, is there with a team that works fast, laughing and talking as they go about their work.
Watching them, the camaraderie is obvious. And there is pride. In short, there is nothing that indicates one of the men is currently serving time at the Cape Breton Correctional Facility.
"A" (the man will remain anonymous for the purposes of this story) is one of 10 inmates who have been a part of a new community outreach program at the facility, connecting them with non-profit organizations through volunteerism.
The program is the only one in the province and it was spearheaded by Cape Breton Correctional Facility superintendent Kirk Shepard. Aiming to help give inmates the skills and confidence needed to help them avoid recidivism (reoffending), for A it seems to be doing just that.
Along with other programs at the facility, like the community resource fair in October, A said he’s planning for a future he never dreamed he was incapable of having.
“Jail is a bad experience, but it’s not a bad experience at the same time,” he told the Cape Breton Post on the condition of anonymity.
“It’s a shitty thing you have to be in here, but jail for me was a little better.”
Since his incarceration in the spring, A has obtained his GED (general educational development) and, thanks to his instructors, has started taking courses needed to work in the oil and gas industry, thanks to a partnership the facility has with METI.
“I wanted to do (this education before), but I kind of had anxiety about school. But here, where I knew the teachers, and my teacher, she pushed me, I felt I could take the classes,” he said, continuing to pick up trash as he told his story.
“After I get out ... I’m going to finish up my courses. So I can go out West and work.”
A said being a part of the community outreach program has been another essential part in his rehabilitation during his first time in jail.
“I don’t feel like I’m an inmate when I’m out here with these guys ... And we’re making a difference. We’re getting this (garbage) off the street (and out of the woods),” A said.
“I’m not cleaning this for me. I’m cleaning this up for the next generation.”
A also said being able to leave the prison, under the supervision of corrections officers who work with them as equals, has also helped his mental health during incarceration.
“Being in jail so long, people get stressed. You stay on the range so many hours a day, it starts to mess with your head, right?” A explained. “With me, this gets me out and I go back to the range stress-free.”
Knowing he’s a part of the program has also helped A learn how to not act on his first impulse because he knows his actions could lead to him being removed from it.
“I think, 'if I do this, then I won’t be able to do that,'” he said. “It taught me how to think twice about stuff.”
The community outreach program was launched in June 2019 and the Cape Breton Correctional Facility is the only one offering it. Starting off collecting garbage along the road, the program expanded to Cape Breton Regional Municipality solid waste department illegal dumping cleanups and then on to helping non-profits like the Fort Petrie Military Museum and the Stone Church Restoration Society.
During a phone interview with the Cape Breton Post on Dec. 4, Shepard said he’s “proud” of all the inmates who’ve taken part in the program since it launched in June 2019.
“Some of these guys are doing things they’ve never done before, like eat lunch on a beach ... And they’re giving back to the community,” he said.
“Nobody likes to go to jail, let’s face it. This program is giving people valuable work and valuable education... helping them learn things like the history of Fort Petrie importance of it. “
Shepard also sees the inmates feel pride themselves after a day volunteering in the community, something he believes can help meet their criminogenic needs (traits or issues that can cause someone to reoffend).
“This program is so therapeutic ... Hopefully meeting a criminogenic need that helpes that person never come back to a facility again. That’s our ultimate goal,” he said.
“They have a sense of accomplishment, a sense of self-worth (after an outreach day) … They really like giving back to the community.”
Response from the community and from their partners has been good and Shepard said he’s received calls from people thankful for the help the program is providing. And as community organizations sing their praises, Shepard finds new opportunities to get the inmates involved.
“The Stone Church group, they reached out to me. They needed an old wooden ramp removed (and some landscaping) … We’ve been everywhere. From Little Lorraine, to New Waterford, to Florence,” said Shepard who praises his staff for the success of the program.
A also praises the guards — who he plans to only see on the outside after being released from the facility — thanks to what he’s learned and how he’s changed during his time incarcerated.
“My family (when I spoke to them while incarcerated) were saying to me maybe I need to come here, to learn these things (so I could change),” he said.
“Good guards (at Cape Breton Correctional Facility). The jail’s alright. A lot of people will only say negative thing about the jail. I’ll leave and only say positive things.”
Cape Breton Correctional Facility – Community Outreach Program
NO: It’s not a ‘chain gang’. Inmates are volunteering with non-profits.
NO: It is not taking away paying jobs. Inmates fill volunteer positions only.
NO: It’s not open to everyone. Inmates must apply, meet criteria, be in last half of sentence.
YES: It gives hands-on training to inmates in program.
YES: It helps inmates give back to community organizations.
YES: It took a year of developing the program, policies before launching June 2019.
