Convicted killer Walter Navas was the spark behind the Monroe prison’s new Speak Out program.
Darin Goff, a program manager at the prison complex, came up with the idea after talking to Navas, who has spent more than 18 years of his life in prison.
The concept is simple: Inmates share their stories to try to encourage young people not to follow in their footsteps.
Inmates go through an extensive screening process, Goff said.
Counselors screen their backgrounds inside and outside prison, and officers conduct two personal interviews. Inmates are required to be in the prison’s minimum-security unit and must be eligible for leaving the prison when accompanied by officers, Goff said.
Taking inmates to schools could be considered a risk for the prison and the learning institution. But with such a complete screening process, the benefits surpass the risks, Goff said.
"Some of our offenders have a lot to offer to youth," he said.
June Shirey, the administrator at Aim High School, the alternative school in Snohomish, said she decided to invite the program after learning it’s safe for children. The school has about 75 students and meets in the Garden City Grange building in Snohomish.
The three inmates, who spoke to the students, are average intelligent people, Shirey said. They just made poor choices, which can happen to anyone, she said.
"Sometimes, kids don’t realize how easily they can make poor choices," she said.
Schools interested in bringing the Speak Out program to their classrooms may call Darin Goff, a program manager at the Monroe prison complex, at 360-794-2574. Inmates visit schools about twice a month.
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