Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.'s Addiction Treatment Program has helped 20 nonviolent offenders in the Yaphank Correctional Facility recover from addiction through a five-week photography program. The program, which paired inmates with photographer Saskia Keeley, aimed to empower participants to put their criminal pasts behind them and focus on their futures. According to Toulon, who unveiled an art exhibit featuring the inmates' photos and collages at the facility, the program has changed the outlook of those involved over the last four years. The exhibit will be on display in the visiting lobby of the Yaphank Correctional Facility through September.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Twenty nonviolent inmates in the Yaphank Correctional Facility, who were locked up on drug convictions, participated in a five-week photography program led by photographer Saskia Keeley. The program, part of the Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.'s Addiction Treatment Program, aimed to help the inmates overcome their past and move forward with their lives. Through the program, participants learned portrait photography and created collages that reflected on where they had been, where they were, and where they hoped to go. The inmates' photos are now being displayed in the visiting lobby of the facility through September, as part of a larger art exhibit. Two former inmates, Skyler Davis and Sean Hughes Jackson, credited the program with changing their lives and helping them realize that their past behaviors were not normal.
Written for “Inmates Overcome Addiction” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but every quote it verified points left, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 5836: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-09-06
Suffolk County jail inmates locked up on drug convictions used a photo program pushed by the sheriff to get clean — and now their pics are part of an art exhibit.
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pics → lock → exhibit
Twenty nonviolent offenders in the Yaphank Correctional Facility are having their photos posted in the visiting lobby of the facility through the month of September as part of the Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.’s Addiction Treatment Program.
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photos → have → Program
“This program has changed my whole life,” said Skyler Davis, who was released from jail in late August after serving his time on drug possession charges.
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who → change → charges
The five-week photography program paired participants with photographer Saskia Keeley, who taught them portrait photography and guided them through building collages that captured where they’d been, where they were and where they hoped to go, Keeley explained.
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Keeley → pair → collages
Keeley, who has run similar programs in jails and prisons around the country, said the idea is to empower people to put their criminal pasts behind them.
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idea → run → them
Another inmate, Sean Hughes Jackson, said that it wasn’t until he was incarcerated that he realized he wasn’t living a “normal” life.
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he → say → life
“I was doing drugs with my mother — and I thought that was normal,” Jackson said.
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Jackson → do → mother
Sheriff Toulon, a Democrat, said the program has helped change people’s outlooks over the last four years.
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program → say → years
“Incarceration is [not] a substitute for rehabilitation or treatment, but while someone is in our custody, we have a responsibility to give them every possible tool to make a different choice when they leave here,” Toulon said.
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Toulon → have → choice
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. unveiled the art exhibit on Tuesday.
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Jr. → unveil → Tuesday
The Suffolk County jail hosts an art exhibit featuring photos and collages made by inmates in recovery from addiction.
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jail → host → addiction
“This program has changed my whole life,” said Skyler Davis, who was released from jail in late August after serving his time on drug possession charges.
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who → change → charges
The Suffolk County jail hosts an art exhibit featuring photos and collages made by inmates in recovery from addiction.
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jail → host → addiction
