Artist Alex Cook often paints his murals in schools and public places, not correctional facilities. But the three-word message of his art projects is perhaps just as valuable for jail inmates as for anyone else.

That’s why Sandy Haase of Yorba Linda wanted Cook to create a mural in the Orange County Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana.

Haase has volunteered with the Orange County jails since 1986, helping with religious services and acting as an assistant chaplain. She discovered Cook online. The Boston-based artist has made more than 100 murals, including 17 in the last two years with a simple message: “You Are Loved.”

Haase met Cook when he came to Los Angeles in February to paint a mural at Berkeley Hall School, a private elementary and middle school. She heard him talk to the students about self worth, a message she thought could translate well to the jail.

The jail in Santa Ana is the second correctional facility where Cook has made a “You Are Loved” mural. For seven years, Cook was a volunteer chaplain in a jail in Boston.

“People who are in need grab onto the lifelines that they find,” Cook said. “It’s a very powerful message that can really, truly have a transformative effect on people, especially people who are wondering if they’re valuable, if they’re important, if they’re good.”

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