Yaphank jail inmates learn healthier lifestyles through CrossFit training by The James Pinka Foundation

When John Murray, of Ronkonkoma, left the Yaphank Correctional Facility in 2018, he was prepared to never look back.

Now, he goes back often, walking proudly through the entrance in a pair of gym shorts and sneakers to teach CrossFit classes several times a week.

“I used to be here in this building incarcerated,” Murray, 40, said Saturday. “I was a product of addiction, and CrossFit enabled me to break free of it.”

Murray is one of 10 instructors who volunteers at the jail as part of 10-17 Fitness, a program developed to help inmates develop healthier habits as they overcome addiction. Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. said the fitness regimen prepares inmates to transition back into their regular lives while reducing recidivism.

Since launching the classes last summer, 12 men and 10 women have signed up, Toulon said.

On a rainy Saturday morning, coaches led a group of seven men through air squats, burpees and wall balls, a move that combines a squat with an overhead press. Inmate LaJuan Kelly, of Hicksville, said he finds the class to be “therapeutic” and enjoys the camaraderie.

“We pull each other up,” said Kelly, 41, who has a nonviolent drug possession charge. “It’s for the better that I was rescued, not arrested. I look at things on the bright side now.”

Toulon said CrossFit helps people in the throes of addiction because it provides “all the pillars leading to a sober life,” including structure, routine and community.

He estimated that 85% of those incarcerated at Suffolk jails return to their communities. One tenet of his administration is providing rehabilitation. “If we can provide programs that they can sustain when they leave us … they feel a little bit better prepared,” he said.

The participants are residents in the Sheriff’s Addiction Treatment Program dorm, which provides drug treatment and unique programming, including memoir writing and photography.

The CrossFit program was named in memory of James Pinka, a 19-year-old who died from a fatal reaction to cough medicine and Xanax in 2016. His mother, Laurie Pinka, of Bayport, started the foundation in his name to help others struggling with addiction.

Laurie Pinka, 56, first began volunteering at the jail as part of The Beading Hearts, a group of grieving parents who have lost children to drugs and visit the jail to share their stories.

The James Pinka Foundation teamed up with Undivided Fitness in Bohemia to launch 10-17 Fitness, which includes hourlong sessions at the jail three times a week, plus lessons in nutrition and mindfulness. The 10-17 name is a nod to Gucci Mane, James’ favorite rapper.

Outside of the jail, they host reunion classes for formerly incarcerated participants and provide scholarships to join their gym when individuals are released.

Pinka and the instructors wear shirts that read: “Still I Rise,” a mantra central to the class — and life.

“CrossFit is tough, and after some workouts people literally fall on the ground,” she said. “We still get up from our workout, but that applies everywhere in life. It really applies to people who have these stories of addiction and recovery.”

For Murray, giving back to inmates at the jail is gratifying. He tries to inspire them to stay sober.

“There’s a better way to live,” he said. “Stick around and put in the work. It’s worth it.”