Lessons Learned Behind Bars

On the ride to the jail, we were a bit nervous. Why were we even doing this, we wondered? Who cares about journalism in jail?

We worried the teenage inmates we were supposed to teach wouldn’t care or, worse yet, they would become unruly.
The sight of the jail didn’t help.  Cook County Jail is a massive place, with typical razor wire fences and multiple-check points. The jail guards we dealt with seemed to be surprised to find journalists trying to get into the building — not to interview anyone but to teach.

We walked through several buildings before we got to the “school” wing. On our way to our classroom, it was strange to see adult inmates milling about in the common rooms. When we got there we were alone for a few minutes, and we worked hard not to appear nervous.

To our surprise, the inmates who arrived for the class weren’t just interested, they were engaging. One by one, they asked questions about journalism. As we started brainstorming story ideas, their suggestions were insightful and surprising.
Was the commissary overpriced? How did the price of Ho Hos in jail compare to the price at a convenience store on the outside? There was a new sheriff running the jail. Did he care about the inmates? What was his plan for the facility? What was his background? There had recently been a series of fights in one of the cellblocks. What was the cause? What was the solution?

With each story idea, the teens offered ways they might report or write the stories. One boy showed us his drawings, and his classmates encouraged him to draw a picture for the newspaper. That led to a discussion about newspaper cartoonists and how these teens could use the skills and interests they already have in their work.

We didn’t talk about why they were there. We didn’t talk about crime at all, in fact. We talked only about how they could take their life experiences, their current situations, and find something compelling to say about them on paper.
As the inmates got more excited, so did we. The tiny, dark, windowless room began looking more like a classroom and less like a cell. The young men seemed less like inmates and more like students.

A jail newspaper? Why not? Journalism, it became clear, could prosper anywhere. In fact, it should.

Suddenly, the sprawling, concrete-walled, razor-wired corrections center seemed the perfect place for a newspaper. On the chalkboard behind us, we’d brainstormed an entire front page’s worth of story ideas. We assigned the inmates stories and suggested they start reporting right away.  Before we knew it, our time was up. 

As the boys left, our jail liaison, Joyce Hutchens, called it a good day.  The kids seemed to like the classes more and more, she said.

We walked out feeling we’d done what we came to do, to teach a class about journalism. 

But we walked out students as well, having learned more about what life is like for teens on the inside.

Jon Yates is a general assignments reporter at the Chicago Tribune and writes a twice-weekly consumer column called "What's Your Problem?" He has worked for the paper since 2000, after stints at the Nashville Tennessean, the Palm Springs Desert Sun and the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

Angela Rozas is a Chicago Tribune general assignment reporter, primarily covering crime. She has worked for the paper since 2003 and was previously a reporter for The Times-Picayune of New Orleans. A native of Louisiana, she covered Hurricane Katrina for the Tribune.