Lake Erie CI Warden Speaks to Junior High Students

Lake Erie Correctional Institution Warden Rich Gansheimer recently spoke with students at Lakeside Junior High School, in nearby Conneaut, Ohio.  One of the primary messages he offered to the young people, is that it is not easy being a teenager in 2008.
“It’s a scary time and an exciting time,” Gansheimer told them.  “The decisions you make now can affect you the rest of your life.”

The MTC warden acknowledged that juggling the pressures of schoolwork, sports and a social life can be overwhelming and some teens turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the challenges.  But he also explained where travel down the ‘wrong’ path can lead people, by explaining life at Lake Erie Correctional Institution.

He told the young people about 25 new prisoners arrive at his facility each week.  About 1500 inmates are housed there, each of them staying an average of nearly three years.
“Who you hang out with can bring you down,” the warden added.  “A lot of people at prison would not have done the things on their own, but they became followers.”

(posted 03/30/08)

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