Today I interviewed a young prisoner at Taft Camp who has some misguided perceptions. He’s in his early 20s, and he’s been influenced by reality television shows that depict all of the ugliness of prison.

Shows like Lockdown and Maximum Security dramatize all of the violence and gang activity inside. What they fail to show are individuals who are serving time in prison with positive attitudes and the commitment to prepare—in every way—for successful re-entry into society as better human beings. The young man told me that he wanted to live a normal life once he returned to society, but while he served his sentence he would accept the ways of the prison, meaning he would live the cycle of failure that prisons are so good at perpetuating.

When I talk with young men who begin serving their terms with such attitudes, I try to open their minds to different perspectives. When prisoners close their minds to the outside world and see only prison, they act like prisoners. It’s a mistake. Before long they begin trying to make a prison reputation. They respond to inevitable altercations with violence. That results in transfer to higher security and pressures for more violence. Before long the prisoner is in a gang or carrying a weapon. Then he is charged with a new crime and receives sentencing enhancements that lead to his serving 20 or 30 years instead of the five years he started with. Why? Because he wanted a prison reputation.

Anyone can build a prison reputation. All it takes is stupidity and a knife. Instead of thinking about building a prison reputation, I told the young man he should think about how he wants to live the rest of his life and what he can do now to prepare for it. That perception is the key to a successful prison adjustment.

When people come to prison with expectations that there isn’t anything they can do to change their lives for the better, they behave like prisoners. If they had meaningful incentives to work toward, on the other hand, more people in prison would use their time productively. Administrators should implement new policies that foster hope, not extinguish it.

I try to lead by example, to show other prisoners that if they work to educate themselves, avoid problems, focus on preparing for the challenges that await release, more opportunities open. It’s a tough sell. Some people cannot focus on rewards that will not materialize for years to come. I wish administrators would help by introducing changes that encourage prisoners with incremental rewards for positive deeds.

Regardless of what administrators do, I will continue my efforts to influence and inspire positive change.

Ran 10 miles / 5,210 miles in 585 days

700 pushups / 78,500 pushups in 2010

Tuesday, 20 July 2010

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