Playing by the rules

Chelsea L. McGowan

cmcgowan@weatherforddemocrat.com

On Wednesday morning, two men sat across a table from each other, each staring intently at a chess board. Pride was on the line — and a hot pizza.

But this was no ordinary gentlemen’s wager. These men were supervised by guards and wore orange jumpsuits.

Ron King, warden of the Parker County jail, said rewarding inmates’ good behavior with competitive opportunities is one of the key elements of their reform program.

“Pizza is on the line for the champion, but I don’t think that’s why they concentrate so hard,” King said. “The pizza is secondary. Being able to call yourself the champion is the primary goal. And our goal, you know, is encouraging our inmates toward reform.”

Himself a life-long chess player, King said these tournaments are an interesting parallel to what he calls “life in the free world.”

“Every two weeks we have some sort of tournament, alternating between exercising the body and the mind,” he said. “We won’t ever venture into activities like Texas Hold ’Em or anything like that, but chess is perfect. Chess is the game of life. If you make the right move, you’ll be successful.”

One offender who lost a big chess match Wednesday morning said the games are excellent motivation to “keep it between the lines.”

“To be able to come out of your cage and play against someone with real talent is a really good deal,” he said. “It helps. It’s definitely a reason to keep it between the lines, to keep following the rules.”

During the most recent chess tournament, approximately half of the jail’s population competed, and for a recent handball tournament, about the same ratio of inmates participated.

King said only through good behavior and responsibility can an inmate become eligible to compete against their peers.

“Offenders aren’t eligible to participate in these tournaments if they’ve been any sort of disciplinary problem,” he said. “Disciplinary problems range from being caught with contraband to disrespecting staff. You have to really follow the rules to be able to compete this way. These chess players here are already starting to make the right moves in life, and that’s why they can be here.”

In addition to these organized games, cards, Dominoes and chess sets are provided in all cells at all times. Games like Risk and Monopoly are available for purchase through the commissary.

While Sheriff Larry Fowler is not the sort of law enforcement official that could ever be described as “soft,” he said he believes little things like card games keep the jailhouse quieter.

“A quiet jail is easier to keep,” Fowler said. “The keyword here, though, is responsibility. You have to follow the rules. Let there be no question, though, about who runs this jail. I don’t play around. If you violate the rules, we have a place for you.”

King agreed these reward programs keep the “ruckus” down.

“If they’re playing a board game, the inmates are less apt to rock the cart,” he said. “We want things to stay as calm as possible around here.”

During a stint in the Parker County jail, offenders are given the opportunity to earn responsibility, and therefore, limited freedoms.

The highest level is “trusty status,” where eligible inmates start working in programs like culinary, sanitation or even in the precincts as groundskeepers and animal control support.

Chief Stacy Griffin said these inmates work hard for even that little taste of liberty.

“You can be removed from trusty status for simply disrespecting a staff member, so they’re very careful,” she said. “And when they do work, they come out and bust tail. They do hard jobs, and we think they do them well.”

Offender Clayton, who King described as a “repeat offender,” works cleaning windows and walls in the jail, and said he is appreciative of the chance to do so.

“I’d much rather work than sit in the tank all day and do nothing,” he said. “I enjoy working. It gives me something to focus on, and makes time go faster.”

In addition to responsibility-based reward programs, King said he is also proud of the adult probation programs the jail now offers on-site.

“These programs are the key to releasing reformed individuals into the free world,” he said. “We used to have to drive inmates to the adult probation center every day, and that’s both expensive and time-consuming. It’s safer, more secure and cheaper to have these programs here.”

Alice Petrasek, a licensed controlled substance dependency counselor contracted through Parker County, leads numerous sessions with inmates.

She said the effects are evident.

“Having these programs on site is really a big help,” she said. “We do more than just Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. We do anger management classes, and anything else I can find that I think will help the inmates. And it works ... it really works.”

During one such support meeting, one inmate volunteered to give his opinion of the programs offered at the Parker County jail.

“Everyone in here has changed going through these programs,” he said. “You see smiles, where before you saw frowns. It’s helpful to be with people who struggle with the same problems as you. We can work together to get better and make sure we don’t come back here.”

Whether through supportive reform programs or rewarding responsibility, King said the number one goal at the Parker County jail is to ensure there are fewer and fewer “repeat customers.”

“The goal is to decrease recidivism, and that’s where the taxpayer wins,” he said. “We don’t want our jail to be a revolving door. If they have to be here, we want them to learn something while we have them here that will keep them from coming back.”