Members of a group originally formed to combat Racial Profiling toured the Theo Lacy Facility on Thursday and pledged to work with the Department to help inmates lead productive lives upon their release.

Rev. Mark Whitlock, Senior Minister of the Christ Our Redeemer African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Irvine said was pleasantly surprised to find that Department officials at Lacy are working hard to help train inmates for the workforce and to help them avoid the pitfalls of drugs and criminal associates who contributed to their going to jail in the first place.

Reverend Whitlock is chairman of the Oden Commission, formed after Olympian Bev Oden was questioned about a bank fraud in May 2007. It turned out that  Bev Oden, who is black, had no connection to the crime.

While there was no acknowledgment of wrongdoing by law enforcement, the incident led to the creation of the Oden Commission and an open dialogue between law enforcement leaders and leaders of the black community in Orange County.

The tour of the Theo Lacy Facility was led by Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson, Assistant Sheriff Charlie Walters, Captain Dave Wilson and Inmate Programs Director Sharron Gibson-Casler. In addition to Reverend Whitlock, representatives of the N.A.A.C.P. attended.

“We have people here who need to be locked up. Most will be released. We treat them with respect and we do all we can to help them make useful lives for themselves when they are released,” Acting Sheriff Anderson told the group.  More...