Inmate complaints and inhumane guards

Hello, PDN Friends--This is my first posting. I am sitting with a group of inmates at a prison in eastern Wisconsin. I find that often they like to get into discussions and complaints about various situations in the prison. I try to steer them away from this line of discussion because I find it disheartening and pretty useless. Today, I said I would like to continue their discussion at the end of our sitting because I had some ideas I would like to advance. So we sat for our usual time, and then I raised the topic of Nonviolent Communication and how it might be used in some situations. However, it became clear to me that I was being rather naive and that the situations they face are complex and sometimes nearly insoluble--particularly in the area of their relationship with certain guards. Later, in chatting with one of the chaplains, I asked whether there was or could be an informal committee of guards and inmates that might address complaints about treatment from both groups--something outside the normal, formal process (getting written up and ending up in the hole). He surprised me by saying the chapel staff is also sometimes rudely treated by some of the guards and the institution in general. "If they had their way," he said, "they would get rid of us." The inmates have told me the place is safe physically--there are few incidents--but it seems to me it isn't safe for human thriving. I am wondering whether anyone else has seen these types of problems and whether anyone has tried to tackle them--outside our traditional Buddhist practice. It seems to me that leadership is really key here, and I don't think this institution's leadership is interested in these "softer" issues. Also, I doubt that the guards receive much or any training in effective communications, human relations, etc.

Any comments from this group?

Kathy Derene
Madison, WI

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Permalink Reply by Mary Rosendale on December 5, 2008 at 10:29pm
RIchard,

I had an immediate response to your first post, which was that you felt sorry for the SOB guards. My gut reaction was that we all live at choice and if we forsake our conscience then we take the consequences. F*** 'em. But, wait, I'm a Buddhist.

I went back and re-read it a few times and I settled down.

It is true, that a man who is trying to keep a good job to provide for himself and his family will pretty much align himself with the predominant culture. For an extreme example - look at 1940-s Germany. We tend to celebrate the heroes - the ones who go against the grain and stand up for others. But, let's be honest, this is not the norm. The grunt is the norm.

All we can ultimately do is to be responsible for our own actions and intentions. If we treat others with respect and compassion we have already "won". Whether or not they recognize it - we walk in authenticity and no-fear.

The only thing an inmate can control is the way things land on him. And the way he responds to what lands on him.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Mary
Permalink Reply by richard on December 24, 2008 at 6:11am
Mary

Trust me!!! I speak from personal experience. Post release, I would return to visit my brother, still incarcerated. The guards were still in their institutional prison. Marching to orders and wearing their uniforms very similar to their charges. It's a matter of who is the Watched and who is the Watcher. Perspective is a matter of thoughts and the moment that creates them.

Peace
Permalink Reply by Ike Lichtenstein on March 9, 2009 at 12:28pm
Well, l have been only writing to inmates for a little more than a year and have only been inside once to give a dharma talk; I have one message to give inmates I have contact with. The time to think about all the problems being in prison is before we create the causes to be in prison. An inmate has no one to blame but himself/herself for the current situation in which he finds himself. Blaming others for our poor conditions and difficulties gets us nowhere. When negative karma ripens nothing can be done. At this time we need to develop patient acceptance. However, all of the many good suggestions given above will make the situation better for the inmates and the CO's if skillful means is used in communications and application.

In my brief encounters with inmates it is rather clear to me they have little sense of self and so they are extremely sensitive to the abuses the system and CO's may throw at them. I try to get them to believe in themselves and to believe in their human potential to improve their lives by deverloping calmer minds thru dharma practice and meditation. All living beings suffer in the same way but have different karma. As I share parts of my life, they see that I have troubles and problems just like them although causes and conditions did not come together so I would have ended up in prison. I could have! When I hear and see the conditions they live in I have openly wept. I did so at my one and only dharma talk inside. I wept for their suffering which is immense, but mostly I wept for the tragedy of the waste of human potential being warehoused in these prisons. These prisons seem like compassionless places and we as volunteers and pen pals may provide an oasis of loving kindness and love that these fellow human beings never get.

They need to do the spititual work to begin to create the causes for the improvement of their situation. Disatisfation with our situation is part of the human experience and why Buddha gave 84,000 teachings to help us learn about impermanance and selflessness. I try to encourage my prison dharma friends to cherish others - they meet inside as they cherish themselves; and they will have a better time of it. This was very difficult for me to learn and it is even harder inside but- it is the only way to reduce sufering from things we can't change. When we are considerate of others and their problems and troubles they seem to open up to us more. We just have to be very determined and persistant.
Permalink Reply by lyn ciampa on September 26, 2009 at 11:52am
'The grunt is the norm' =excellent! That phrase speaks a lot about the reality of reality
Permalink Reply by Nancy McGuire on January 4, 2009 at 1:46pm
Yes, I have heard similar complaints from inmates (about rough treatment by guards). What occurs to me is that we need to be talking with legislators about changes in this regard. If the guards are treating even the chapel staff rudely then the lawmakers may listen. We may have a way here to bring to light that the guards are in need of a new focus: on the needs of all involved in prison life, including their own. I am going to bring this up to my CO and U.S.Representative. Of course, what we want to evolve is a new way of looking at incarceration. What is the purpose of it? The present political climate might help. We can encourage the Obama administration to stay with its focus on "bringing people together" and take a look at what makes this happen in the prison system. Rather than continuing demeaning treatment that diminishes the dignity of all (including the guards), can we envision and act on compassionate treatment which values the needs of everyone? What programs are working on the outside in this regard? (Marshall Rosenberg's work comes to mind...) It would be helpful to refer the legislators to these and suggest their use inside the prisons. It won't change things immediately; however, after just reading some of the responses here it sounds like people are already trying to make concrete changes and implementing helpful programs. Is part of the answer to find people within the system that are sympathetic (say, the guards that treat prisoners with respect) and work with them to move things along? I'm encouraged that there are persons giving time to help things evolve. Many thanks from me and others.

Nancy McGuire
Denver, CO
Permalink Reply by scott houston on January 5, 2009 at 8:05pm
as a 11 year veteran officer coming from a ministerial background , I have always treated inmates like I would anyone else and it's made my job alot nicer and I've seen many become truly free reguardless of thier sentence. I have experienced being labeled an "inmate lover" to which I reply my beliefs cause me to love EVERYONE including those who label me. LOL The prison I was at did make me a trainer though because I had so few problems with inmates and the inmates trust often prevented many other problems. Sorry to say to show compassion you do have to have the courage to go against the grain cause both officers AND inmates can mistake kindness for weakness. Most all corrections academies do teach an interpersonal communications class but it is up to each officer to apply it. Most officers who abuse thier power do so because they themselves are unhappy and unenlightened .I used to tell inmates who complained to me , Jesus was being crucified and said "forgive them for they know not what they do" and any enlightened being can do the same. Good ALWAYS overcomes evil !!! 5 years is the average burn out rate for corrections officers and the bad ones usually make thier jobs so hard they weed themselves out.Hopefully mankind is evolving to the point where there will be no need for prisons only healings by the light of truth until then we pray for the enlightenment of ALL beings !!
Permalink Reply by Carol on January 6, 2009 at 11:23am
Hello, PDN...First I would like to say kudos to the individual that posted this article. I am a retired lieutenant from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.I retired from the Federal Corrections facility in Tallahassee, Florida.
I have read many articles and complaints regarding the inhumane treatment of inmates and I have personal experiences to confirm that many of the complaints are valid. It is sad and appalling what many of the female inmates are being subjected to. In Buddhist terms, it is Hell
“Misery and suffering. Fear, grief and destructive rages or depression. A feeling of being imprisoned by one's circumstances”.
Many of the inmates that complained about the unprofessional conduct and sexual misconduct of staff are often retaliated against for bringing this to the attention institution executive staff. Federal Bureau of Prisons staff are trained in communication and receives annual refresher training on their responsibilities and conduct as correctional staff, but the agency does not always enforce this training or is selective in when they chose to enforce the rules and policy. I will never forget The shooting incident that occured at FCI Tallahassee, June 21, 2006 when you read it, you’ll see why. Until staff working in these facilities are held accountable, this kind of behavior will continue.
Permalink Reply by Charles Gillard on November 18, 2009 at 12:23pm
It is just a matter of not letting down your guard...
Permalink Reply by Adrian Gomez on June 12, 2010 at 6:43pm
Hi, I am training as a CO; I have noticed two issues that go on in prisons. The first is that the COs can be rough, rude, and unethical-towards prisoners and each other. But as a CO in training and practicing Buddhist, I can also testify that the prisoners are very difficult to manage. There is a subculture that exists beneath what the CO is able to see, and we are expected not to go there. What I have received in exchange for being respectful, polite, and compassionate is manipulation, lies, bullying, disrespect, and the list goes on through violations of every rule in the handbook for our institution at the hands of the prisoners. Granted, I have not succumb to being abusive or disrespectful, however, there are many times when I can understand why the veteran COs behave the way that they do. It is very difficult to say how one will react until you have to actually work inside of a prison on a daily basis. I joined this site to look for relief and support to keep me going in this field-it is emotionally taxing, the COs on the one hand with their subculture and cliques, and the prisoners on the other with their own groups and underground.
Permalink Reply by Kate Crisp (PDN Director) on June 14, 2010 at 1:28pm
Thank you for sharing that perspective Adrian...it's really hard to know what its like without actually experiencing it ..but it does help to hear your insights..thanks!
Permalink Reply by Tam An Kinh Tran on June 29, 2010 at 5:29pm
Dear Kathy,

I am new at this and at present I am trying to establish a means to communicate with a male prisoner in a Federal prison in Ilinois. I am so computer-illerate that I am finding it difficult. Anyway, I heard from the sister of this particular man that he was cruelly treated so I hope to learn from him directly how he feels. Because I live in Portand Oregon and am financially stretched, I cannot easily go visit him. However, after hopefully taking Prison Mentor training sometime next year (in Boulder, CO), i will feel more confident and make a point of arranging to visit him. I do not know if there is a prison group in the Federal prison in Marion, Ill and I hope to eventually find out if there is one. I agree with you and have had personal experience that complaining about things does not help and, in fact, only makes things worse and unpleansant for everyone present. I have had formal training in Nonviolent Communication and wish to try to apply it whenever I am able to - sometimes I get upset and lose my temper so I am not always successful. My first name, Tam An, means Calm or Peaceful Mind!

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