Faith behind bars
By Tara Becker - tbecker@svnmail.com
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| Inmate Ronald Hillock |
DIXON – Melvin Notree was a far-less-than-perfect man for most of his life.
Since the early 1970s, the former Bolingbrook man, now 63, often found himself behind bars for burglary and armed robbery.
He wanted desperately to change his ways. He was raised in a Christian home, and although he had gradually fallen away from his faith, he turned to God to help him.
“I would pray and ask the Lord to change me,” Notree said. “I always thought that, because he never answered my prayers, I never thought he really cared about me. But I realized that because I was disobedient, he never really heard me.”
Notree wound up in Dixon Correctional Center in 2007, serving a 6-year sentence for burglary. Today, he is a changed man. Sitting in a small glass room off the prison’s visiting room, he calmly talked about becoming a born-again Christian – something he said might not have happened if not for his most recent incarceration.
“I was blessed to come into this institution,” he said. “I came into this ministry here, and the first day I went to church, the teachings touched my heart.”
Notree is not alone. Many men in prison have sought services to strengthen ties with God and change their ways.
For some, it’s a comfort.
For others, it’s a life-changing experience.
Prison ministry
The 2000 federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act requires state institutions to accommodate – within reason – the religious needs of prisoners.
When an inmate comes to Dixon, he can designate what religion he will or wants to practice, Senior Chaplain Larry Jones said. Clothing, worship items and dietary needs are provided, based on the religion.
The Chaplaincy Department offers four religious services: Catholic, Islamic, Jewish and Protestant. Each includes music, testimonials and sermons based on the specifications of that religion.
“What we try to do is imitate a service in the community,” Jones said.
In addition, there are Bible study groups throughout the week, and a religious library where inmates can access magazines, books and audio tracks on religion, family, finances and other topics.
For prisoners who may not have a designated religion, or who simply are looking for place of quiet reflection, there’s an interfaith prayer room.
“Our mission statement is to meet [prisoners] at the spiritual needs and then direct them and guide them to a higher level of spirituality within themselves,” Jones said.
Through his incarceration, Modesto Echezarreta has found that higher level.
The 43-year-old Miami native is in for life for a murder committed in Cook County in 1995.
Before his conviction, Echezarreta said he did not attend church regularly and was more focused on his car business and night club.
Since he’s been in prison, he’s given his life over to God, he said. He regularly attends services and Bible study and is a member of the choir.
“I’m not happy that I’m incarcerated, because I’ve always said I didn’t commit this crime,” Echezarreta said. “But I don’t regret being incarcerated, because through this incarceration I’ve met the Lord. I thank God that he allowed this to happen for me to have a personal relationship with him.”
Echezarreta is appealing his conviction. Nonetheless, he is prepared to live the rest of his life in prison, because the blessings he’s received through the ministry program make it easier to wake up every day, he said.
“Some people ask me – the other inmates – how can I have the sentence I have and walk around here with a smile every day on my face. I tell them it’s because of my faith and trust in the Lord. It’s a peace that can make you feel rest-assured.”
Growing demand
Jones, senior chaplain since 1995, began his career with the Illinois Department of Corrections a decade before as an educator.
As the prison population has grown, so have have the number of inmates seeking religious services, Jones said.
“We have never had a shortage of inmates wanting to attend,” he said. “We have always been blessed to have a good number of inmate participation, and just like everything else, it fluctuates sometimes.”
Through the years, Jones has counseled many inmates. Some arrived believing in God and reaffirmed their faith while in prison. Others have used their time to find a sense of direction and spirituality, he said.
Ronald Hillock, 59, of Chicago, has spent more than 3 years in the Dixon prison; he’s serving 29 years for theft and deceptive practices.
Hillock, a Catholic, reaffirmed his faith in prison.
“You have a lot of down time here to think and so forth,” Hillock said. “You do a lot of self analysis ... and look back and say, ‘Oh my God, all this is because of him. This is because of him and all the blessings he’s given me throughout my life.’”
Life-changing help
Shortly after coming to Dixon, Notree became involved in the prison ministry. Speaking with Jones and attending services, he decided to leave his old life behind for good.
He sealed the deal, he said, when he was baptized at the prison.
“In order to be baptized, you have to give up the old man and become the new man, and that’s what I did,” Notree said. “I went down as the old man and came up the new man. That’ s how I want to live my life. I really believe that I am a born-again Christian.”
For Jones, it has been rewarding to help inmates find their way to God and work through the reasons for their incarceration.
“The humility level of the inmates is so different than dealing with a regular parishioner,” Jones said. “Despite what people say, the inmates I have dealt with are remorseful for the things they have done.
“I don’t know the last time I saw a grown man cry out there in the community, but they cry in here all the time.”
The ministry has helped Echezarreta keep a strong bond with his family, he said.
“Through my faith and my enduring strength [God has] given me, I have been able to lead my family members to the Lord,” he said.
Sharing the faith
In Notree’s unit, the younger inmates often have come to him for advice. He gladly takes advantage of the opportunity to lead them in the right direction, he said.
“It’s not to say that I’m a really good figure, but I draw the young guys to me,” he said with a chuckle. “When I do, I take advantage of it and preach the word of God to them. I tell them what he has done for me, and I know that the same thing could happen for them.”
Hillock said he has spent his time at Dixon mentoring other inmates and helping them with their goals, he said.
“Now I actually feel that the strength I’m getting by being here is helping people,” he said. “It’s a rewarding experience.”
Echezarreta brings together the men on his unit to pray each night before the day room closes.
“A group of the brothers come together for a community prayer and pray for the other inmates, the staff members and our families,” he said.
Life beyond bars
Without his new-found faith, Hillock said, he won’t make it in the outside world.
“I need [God,] and it’s going to be difficult when I leave here because of all the temptations,” he said. “I know Satan will be knocking on my door with those temptations, but now I know how to fight them.”
Notree is scheduled to be paroled in June. He wants to go to a Christian halfway home if there is a bed available; if not, he will move in with his sister in Bollingbrook.
Someday, he wants to open his own Christian halfway home for newly released inmates who have nowhere to go.
“There’s a lot of work that’s got to be done, and I believe that I’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit,” Notree said.
“I’ve been motivated and inspired to do this, and I believe I’m the man for the job. That’s my goal.”
By the numbers
The Dixon Correctional Center has an average of 2,108 inmates daily.
In May:
■ More than 1,700 inmates participated in one of its four mainstream services.
■ About 832 participated in a Bible study.
■ Almost 170 participated in other services offered through the Chaplaincy Department, such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
Dixon Correctional Center’s Chaplaincy Department staff is:
■ 2 state chaplains.
■ A contractual chaplain and rabbi.
■ Between 65 and 70 religious volunteers from the community.
More than 60 religions are practiced by inmates at the facility, including:
■ African-Hebrew Israelite
■ Al-Islam
■ Assembly of Yahweh
■ Baha’i
■ Baptist
■ Buddhist
■ Catholic
■ Druid
■ Eastern Orthodox
■ Hebrew Israelite
■ Moorish Science
■ Muslim
■ Unitarian Universalist
■ Seventh-Day Adventist
■ Odinism
■ Presbyterian
To donate
The Dixon Correctional Center Chaplaincy Department supplies inmates with religious items based on their faith. Many are donated by local churches and religious vendors, or are paid for with donations from community members.
The department is always in need of Bibles, sacraments for religious services, religious audio and magazines, among other things, Senior Chaplain Larry Jones said.
To donate items or money, call Jones at 815-288-5561, ext. 3027.
