Dharma for Guards?

Well, "guards" is not really correct, but it works for a subject line. I work in corrections and I now have several family members who do. I started studying Buddhism a while back and find that I'd like to communicate with others in my field. Unfortunately we seem to be hard to find. A lot of places I have looked demonize correctional people it seems. I understand we are easy to see as the enemy, and many people in my field can be inappropriate, but we are all still people, ya know?

I work with juveniles now and I have worked in community corrections with adults in the past. I think it is easy for people who don't work in the field to see those who work in the field as bad. But that is the easy thing to do I think. I entered this field after doing many other things, and I haven't experienced people in my field as being any different from any other group, except honestly the ones I have known might have a bit more real compassion than the people I have known outside this field.

It is a challenge to see such suffering every day and not get hard. I now see it as suffering, I used to see it as just wrong or screwed up people. It is hard sometimes to balance the need to see to the safety of myself, other staff members, and the kids and yet remain caring. That challenge I think is what pulls so many officers down so that they become like the stereotype.

When you go to work and you know that that person who you talk to everyday, who acts cool towards you, who seems like they are doing ok, might, if given a chance, stick a shank in your back can do weird things to your mind and your heart.

I have met parents and grandparents of kids who have had no business having kids, who barely seem to be able to dress themselves or practice basic hygiene. But when they come to visit their child I know their child is so happy to see them.

I have known kids who try so damned hard, but yet can't seem to get it together.

I know how meth smells as it percolates out of the skin of once pretty young women, I have seen bone laid bare where a girls gums have been eaten away by meth.

I have known young women who have lost control of their bladder at night and they can't even admit it to themselves. Did it happen because they finally felt safe because they were locked up? Or was it a reaction to sexual abuse? I don't now, and they can't say.

I have known young men who don't know how to react to the death of dear friends except to try to get revenge by killing another.

I have seen young men try so hard not to cry, and yet they do. They will sometimes act so tough and so hard, but once on the phone with their mothers they cry like little children.

I have known children who have never known anything but abuse and neglect who don't even know how to respond to an adult that cares.

I have seen mothers who have tried so hard to do right by their child and yet he is arrested one more time, and she must go to court again, but if she does she'll lose her job from all the other times she has had to take time off to go to court.

I have seen mothers who are homeless somehow come up with bus fare so they can come for their alloted visit with their child.

I have gotten phone calls from desperate parents looking for help for their son or daughter before they get into trouble and I don't know where to tell them to go.

I know prisoners "need" dharma, and so do "guards."

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Permalink Reply by Ekō (Joshua) Goldberg on January 21, 2008 at 11:28am
Taunya, thank you so much for your very thoughtful reflections on your experiences working in prisons. My experience of prisons is of having friends and partners doing time, and a family member who did time (although I didn't know about it till afterwards).

You wrote: "I think it is easy for people who don't work in the field to see those who work in the field as bad". That is a pretty telling comment on how difficult it is to work with anger and hurt. I have seen prisoners and their loved ones demonize guards. I have also seen guards demonize prisoners and their loved ones. Everyone just seems to be trying to externalize their anger and hurt, blaming other people for the difficult emotions they are experiencing.

This is not to say that there aren't real issues around violence, abuse of power, etc. You said "I haven't experienced people in my field as being any different from any other group". I haven't experienced guards as being any different than anyone else in a position where they have power over other people. Outside of Corrections I have seen welfare workers, social workers, child protection workers, nurses, doctors, and others who are in helping professions abuse the power they have. Having been in the helping profession I was horrified to notice myself abusing the power I had sometimes (being rude or mean to people I was "helping"), often justifying it because my work situation was very stressful.

Like any other line of work, in my experience there are many reasons why people end up in corrections. There are some people who just see it as a job and don't think too much about the kind of job it is. Sometimes it is the only job option in a particular place (we live right behind a prison and many of the people in our neighbourhood work there; the only other option for work in our neighbourhood is the gas station or a convenience store). Sometimes people who work in corrections -- just like social work, policing, teaching, etc. -- enjoy having power over other people. Our next door neighbour is a very troubled man who responds to every conflict (large or small) with violence; working in the prison gives him an outlet for violence that would not exist in most other workplaces. It is very complicated.

I don't think you and I are on opposite sides of anything. We have different experiences based on many causes and conditions. But just as the military is a collective societal responsibility, so too is the prison system. All of us, including people working in it, are harmed by the way it is structured and we also all contribute, in our various ways, to the way it is structured.

I am glad for this opportunity to talk honestly about our experiences and to about how we can support each other to work for positive change. Taunya, in your position you have an amazing opportunity to be of service. Thank you for the work you are doing, for not running away from something that is difficult, and for helping teach people who aren't working in corrections about the nuances of that position. I appreciate you doing this.

Warm regards,

Joshua
Permalink Reply by Kate Crisp (PDN Director) on January 21, 2008 at 5:01pm
Thank you so much for posting your insightful words Taunya, I was very moved by them. You are powerful writer...have you ever thought of publishing a book or short stories about your experience?
Permalink Reply by Taunya on January 22, 2008 at 11:01pm
Kate you are too kind. I don't want to resist the idea too much or then I will wind up doing it : )
Permalink Reply by Taunya on January 22, 2008 at 11:00pm
Thanks for your reply Joshua. I think we agree on much. The system can be damaging to all and yet we need something to deal with those who are struggling so bad. I started to look at Buddhism because I somehow ran into a lecture by Pema Chodron, I have stuck with it so far as a way to deal with myself so I can do a better job of dealing with the kids.

I agree it is a collective societal responsibility, and there is the difficulty. I have stated in the past that if the voters knew what we do they we be in an uproar. In this state the juvenile system is based on treatment and "what works." Not on revenge. But I think most voters was revenge and for examples to be set. I think so many people just want us to basically throw these kids away.

On a more positive note. It is interesting that one of the newer therapies (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) that is used in some state institutions for dealing with depressives uses "mindfulness" as an integral part of the therapy. It is interesting to read about if you enjoy "academic" reading, and some stuff can be found on the web.
Permalink Reply by Ekō (Joshua) Goldberg on January 24, 2008 at 9:20am
Hi Taunya,

Yes, it is one thing to criticize the system (especially from the outside!) and another to be part of building a constructive alternative -- whether from the inside or outside. Even though the prison system is deeply structurally flawed I am grateful, as someone with a loved one currently in prison, that there are people working in prisons who are there to try to make a positive difference instead of to be punitive or seeking an outlet for their own difficult emotions.

Your comments about voters being a potential danger in terms of seeking to create a more punitive system are interesting. In my area, even though there is a prison right here (our backyard faces its barbed wire) I think many people try to numb out and pretend it's not here. There is a lot of fear and people who visit our house often say "aren't you scared living so close to a prison", which is pretty revealing about their stereotypes of who does time and why (the prison near our house is for people doing less than 2 years, so almost everyone is in for drug possession, theft, etc. rather than assault, murder, rape, etc.).

There has been a lot of public horror around violent youth and a lot of pressure to try them as adults, which is that kind of punitive mentality you talked about that doesn't address the reasons why some teenagers are engaging in violence. It makes me hopeful to hear that in your region the system is more based on what has been demonstrated to work rather than an ideological/political rationale based on public pressure. At the same time here there is some public interest in the concepts behind "restorative justice", which again makes me hopeful that there is recognition that the current system needs to change in a fundamental way.

If you have time to write about what you think would work structurally, what is working in the prison you work in and what you think needs to change, I would love to hear that kind of insight from someone working on the inside.

Best wishes,

Joshua
Permalink Reply by Taunya on January 25, 2008 at 8:43pm
I have been thinking a lot about what I think would work structurally. But I don't think instituting structural changes is what is needed now. I think it would be very helpful if there were more resources for people who work in the field. I looked and looked for somewhere where I could talk to other people who are in my field and are studying Buddhism or any other form of self work that is similar and there doesn't appear to be anything. I think many people in the field would be interested if they were exposed to it. I took a chance and handed a PDN flier to a woman at work who I thought would have a "pfft" attitude, and after she read it she said she knows of some kids who might be interested. I guess you just don't know until you give people a chance right?

It is interesting that there is so much more out there for offenders than people who work in the field, but it seems like working on both sides would be most effective.

Gotta run and gonna think some more.
Permalink Reply by Ekō (Joshua) Goldberg on January 26, 2008 at 9:44am
Hi Taunya,

Very interesting that you think what is most needed is resources for people who work in corrections, rather than structural changes. I look forward to hearing more about that. Although I haven't had the chance to talk with many people working in the prison system, my impression is that (at least in the prison system here) it's not a very high paying job and there is resentment that prisoners get access to counselling, schooling, and other services that the staff can't afford for themselves or their families. It seems like there is a lot in the system that is designed to set people against each other and inspire anger. It reminds me a lot of the military -- a system where it's really set up for most of the public to not feel a sense of responsibility to deal with big problems, and for a few people to be on the frontlines dealing with day to day survival. It is a rather graphic example of the human tendency to want to distinguish between what feels pleasurable and what feels uncomfortable, and want the "unpleasant" to go away, even when creating that separation creates so much suffering...

Thanks for making the time for this discussion.

Best,

Joshua
Permalink Reply by Taunya on January 28, 2008 at 11:01am
Although I think structural change is necessary for complete transformation I am not convinced that that is where actual change begins. Any social structure is made up of the policies and procedures and the people that make them up. If you change a policy or procedure and the people who are responsible for following it don't buy in or resist it the change will likely not take effect.

You say "It seems there is a lot in the system that is designed to set people against each other and inspire anger" Can you give me an example of what you mean.

To me it is such a balancing act. There are offenders who would rather injure or hurt an officer than look at one. There are times when offenders will just lash out. Never knowing who or when is an incredible stress. Then there is the apparently odd twist that most sex offenders are really "nice guys" and generally smart. So if I am interacting with a guy who seems pretty ok and smart it is predictable I am interacting with a sex offender. Another layer is not only am I responsible for my safety and the safety of the other people who work here, and the safety of the community, I am also responsible for the safety of all the residents. That is a heavy load to bear, actually, but who else is there to do it?

I am clueless how structural changes could affect the stuff I mention above.
Permalink Reply by Ekō (Joshua) Goldberg on January 28, 2008 at 11:45pm
Hi Taunya,

Exactly what you described is what I was thinking of in terms of setting people against each other and inspiring anger. People who already have a lot of suffering, many who have experienced violence, are penned up with each other in confined spaces. I can't see how that could promote anything other than anger. (I would be pretty angry if I was confined in that way.) And the only outlets for that anger are yourself, each other, or the people who are keeping you confined. In that atmosphere it is not surprising there are so many instances of self-harm, sexual assault, physical assault, and threats/violence against guards. Add to that the heavy burden that guards bear (the burden put on guards by the community at large because we don't want to deal with the realities of the reasons why people go to prison) and the constant noise and pressure and it is not surprising that some guards take out their frustrations on the prisoners. To me there is not much room for healing or reconciliation in this type of system, although that it happens at all is testimony to the marvelous capacity of the human spirit (among both guards and prisoners).

I used to work with men who had done time for very violent acts, including multiple rapes and murders. But the place I worked with them was a community service that was completely voluntary. And in that atmosphere, it was very interesting to watch them treat me and each other with respect. I knew that in the pen it would be a different story.

There is no simple solution. I am not naive enough to think that if we all hold hands we will all get along and there will be no need for prisons. But the more I do Zen practice and the more I do prison work the more I am convinced that the industrial prison complex is also not an answer.

Best wishes,

Joshua
Permalink Reply by Taunya on February 1, 2008 at 10:20am
Well, it is AN answer. The challenge is to come up with one that works better. In some ways I can't speak to the industrial prison complex as a participant since juvenile stuff is different. I think one ultimate answer would be the spread of spiritual teachings that allow individuals to make different choices. Seems to me that over time that would cut back on the need that creates the complex. Oh, one thing that would really really help is if we ended the war on young mostly black men, oh, I mean the war on drugs. But I think that is actually starting to happen out of pure necessity since the has become so costly.

When I think of possible alternatives I find that I would need to develop a typology of sorts with the different kinds of offenders. I think we could whittle away at those that need to be in the system, but that still leaves a bunch. What do we do with them? The violent ones and the ones who have little to no regard for human life? That is pretty much where I get stumped.
Permalink Reply by Ekō (Joshua) Goldberg on February 2, 2008 at 11:42am
Hi Taunya,

You're right, the prison industrial system is an answer, but I guess it depends what the question is :)

It is interesting that you perceive the prison industrial complex being created as a response to individuals' actions. Presumably the causes and conditions behind the prison system's evolution are different in different places. Here what I see is that societal attitudes and laws are manipulated (consciously or unconsciously) to support the prison industrial complex. That is, the questions behind the prison industrial complex are not just "what do we do with people who hurt other people", but also "how can we get cheap labour and not have to worry about labour standards"; prisoners here receive far below minimum wage for the work they do, and have far fewer rights as workers than workers on the outside. That is a great situation for industry. Another shift that's become really noticeable here is "how can we designate enough activities as 'illegal' to justify building and maintaining more prisons" as it's become very profitable to build institutions and the focus is on expanding the prison industry as an industry. So I guess part of the process for me is disentangling the huge question of what to do when people are suffering so much that they are a danger to themselves or other people, and the commercial/industrial motivations that so strongly influence decisions about prisons here.

Another piece for me is stopping the use of prison as punishment/revenge/retribution, as it seems to me that that aspect creates far more suffering with no real benefit to anyone affected -- including survivors of violence, the person who was violent, and the people working in the prison system. Although I don't always agree with the approach of the John Howard Society, they have an interesting discussion paper that addresses the punitive aspect of imprisonment online at http://www.johnhoward.on.ca/whoweare/stand/stand.pdf if you are interested.

The question you ask about what to do with people who are violent and who have little to no regard for human life: my experience is that there is no separation from "those people" and "good people", that we all have seeds of violence inside of us. Maybe that's because I have been one of "those people". As a teenager I was very violent although I always rationalized that it was only acceptable to project that violence onto people who "deserved" it (including myself). There is no question that spiritual practice helped transform the anger and despair that was underneath the violence and helped me learn how to cope with having intense feelings without necessarily acting destructively on them. Equally important was the steadfast kindness and support of friends and family, political understanding of the impacts of systemic oppression and abuse, moving to a place where I could spend a lot of time in nature, and having race and class privilege that gave me a lot of options for getting help. Working with murderers, rapists, people who have been physically or sexually abusive, and others who have been violent and are now committed to nonviolence, many of them describe similar transformative influence although every person's situation is unique, just as with addiction.

It would sure be interesting to see who was left in the prison system if everyone who was not at any more risk of being violent than the average person was removed from prison, and if mental health and addiction programs were immediately available to everyone who wanted to take part (here there is a long waitlist both in and outside prison). It's probably not a complete answer, but it could be a start.

The bottom line is that in working with adults who continue to be violent and pose a real risk to other people, I haven't seen prison be at all positively transformative. If anything it has made the violence worse for many people. It seems to be a way for society to say "we are scared of you so we're going to lock you up so you can only hurt yourself, each other, and the people working in corrections". Might it be necessary to restrict the movement of some people who are an immediate risk to themselves and other people? Probably. I would hope that for those relatively few people we could find ways to restrict movement that are not violent, punitive, or unjust, and also offer the kind of resources that can be a positive influence, like spiritual practice, human kindness and compassion, counselling, exposure to nature, etc. Making the commitment to transform the prison system in that way would be a profound change in Canada.

Thank you for all the time you are putting into this discussion. It has been great practice for me to think through, clarify, and try to articulate my feelings and thoughts on alternatives to the current system.

Best wishes,

Joshua
Permalink Reply by Taunya on February 2, 2008 at 9:47pm
Hey Joshua,

Well, I don't believe that the "prison industrial complex" was created as a response to individual's actions. It was created through a historical development. I agree that people are manipulated at times. I also believe that just about everyone involved believes that they are doing the best they can. I have a hard time ascribing negative motivations to individuals I don't know. I think it is easy to see institutions as faceless and "humanless." But those institutions are made up of humans that possess all the good and bad points that humans do.

I think it is easy to ascribe negative motives to so much. For example, you bring up that workers get less than minimum wage. Another way to see it is all their basic needs are provided for and don't have to pay for them, so any wage they make is bonus, and the taxpayers are paying to support them.

Personally I feel that most people in this system are probably "victims" themselves.

As much as I am sure that this will not be a "popular" thing to say, I do know an individual who has been in the federal adult system who claims that being in prison saved his life because he realized he had to change his ways and learn to deal with his anger.

I think a first step is seeing everyone's humanity. People will tend to become how we treat them.

Best,
T

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