“There are men and women on the inside,” says Angel Pantoja, EJP alumnus, “who, every day, take it upon themselves to listen to their peers, to counsel them and help them work through not only the suffering that comes with incarceration, but also the deep traumas many have carried since childhood.”
During his time incarcerated at Danville, Angel was a member of EJP’s program CAVE — which stands for Community Anti-Violence Education. He had seen his peers provide support without any “real training” and got involved in CAVE to formalize a safe space where those inside could share freely with one another. He now uses the skills he developed with CAVE in his role as Reentry Policy Coordinator in the Office of the Illinois Lt. Governor.
CAVE is a counseling curriculum rooted in understanding the impact of trauma on individual behavior. As the mission reads: “CAVE is a peer-driven anti-violence program that empowers incarcerated men through mentoring, education, and character-building to return to their communities as peacemakers.”
Seeking CAVE Facilitators
EJP is currently seeking a CAVE coordinator and outside member facilitators. The outside coordinator position is paid $31/hour (approx. 5-10 hours/week), although member facilitators are not paid. The cohort is made up of around 20 inside participants, and two outside EJP members. These positions require going through the clearance application process with the Illinois Department of Corrections. The deadline to apply is November 15, 2025.
Facilitators do not need any training, says Sang Lee, one of the CAVE facilitators, “There is no prerequisite for you to know and understand psychology, be versed in its literature, because just like the men who are part of the cohort, you will learn through the process of CAVE. The concepts will be taught to you, and all of that is part of the curriculum.”
“CAVE is a space,” Sang speaks from her own experience, “where you can see how transformation happens through a peer driven process where people are seen for their full potential that they can have. It’s an incredibly transformative experience.”
Trauma-Informed Practice
CAVE began in 2010 when EJP students at Danville Correctional Center started to develop a curriculum to address violence on the streets of Chicago. The program was officially launched in 2014 and other inside members were recruited to join.
Angel says that CAVE was “unlike anything” he had experienced before. He had been through programs at several different prisons, but “was never able to find a class that dealt directly and intentionally with trauma.”
CAVE curriculum draws heavily from the SELF manual created by Dr. Sandra Bloom, a psychiatrist and professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia. SELF stands for: safety, emotions, loss, and future.
“Trauma can limit your imagination,” Angel explains. “Often, the ‘future’ we dream of is just a recycled version of our past. It’s like trying to bake a cake with cookie dough, it just doesn’t work. CAVE helps you slow down, prepare yourself, and leave room for growth for new things and new people to come into your life.”
According to Sang, who has been a CAVE outside participant for almost five years, she has used CAVE in her own everyday life, “thinking about, how are the ways that I can change my behavior, what responses are based on trauma that I have experienced, and how can I create a better community in the places where I interact?”
Apply now!
Those interested can find out more by reading the application forms for CAVE coordinator and CAVE facilitators.