By Katie Kull
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — Brandon Jones Sr. is hoping to make a change when he’s finally released from jail.
The 37-year-old has been locked up in the downtown City Justice Center for about seven months, but he says he has tried to make the best of it. He got a job in the jail kitchen. He has been getting to know the men in his pod of cells.
And in recent weeks, he has joined a re-launched city program through the St. Louis Agency on Training and Development (SLATE) meant to help incarcerated people get the training, schooling or connections they need to find gainful employment upon their release.
“My goal is to give back to the community,” Jones said. He aims to find a job working with his hands, like cooking, cleaning or fixing things. “It starts with me. I’m going to lead by example.”
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Jones and about a half-dozen other men gathered Friday in a small room on the first floor of the City Justice Center on Tucker Boulevard to speak with TV, radio and newspaper journalists about the program. They sat across from a group of SLATE workers while jail and city officials stood by.
It was the first time in two years that reporters and cameras have been allowed inside the facility after dozens of complaints about riots, violence, understaffing, inadequate health care and a string of inmate deaths.
Last year, the city announced it had contracted Doug Burris — the former head of eastern Missouri’s federal probation and parole system who was credited with improving the St. Louis County jail — to conduct a review of the facility.
Then, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones announced he’d become the provisional jail commissioner charged with fixing the problems he uncovered.
One of the biggest concerns was a lack of recreational opportunities that left detainees sitting bored in their cells and almost no programming to help reduce their chances of returning to jail.
But in the last few weeks, SLATE has returned after a five-year hiatus. A new veteran-specific program is starting up, as well as GED classes and partnerships with faith-based organizations. About 20 people are enrolled in SLATE so far.
“We know all you need is some help and some hope,” Burris told the group of SLATE participants on Friday.
The men — who are locked up for a variety of charges, including robbery, domestic assault, stealing and weapons offenses — shared with reporters what they’d been hoping to gain from their experience with SLATE.
Caylen Gordon, 31, said he was working hard on his addiction recovery. His 14-year-old daughter was waiting for him outside, he said, and he wanted to be able to provide for her by getting a job in a kitchen, like he’d had in the past.
“If I’m better,” he said, “she’s going to be OK.”
Edward Shelton, 41, is hoping to get certified in doing HVAC work. And Kelvin Shermon, 39, said he wanted to become licensed as a security officer. He’d worked as a bouncer before, but he said he wanted to get more training.
Some of the program participants may go from the jail into prison but Burris said SLATE stays in touch with them and will be available upon their release.
Shermon said he’s committed to the process.
“It’s going to take time,” Shermon said. “It’s a life-changing thing.”
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