Week Eight

A Day in the Life of a Prison Chaplaincy Intern

6 AM.  Snooze the alarm as many times as I can get away with.  I find an outfit that isn’t blue, denim, tight, low-cut, or has metal doodads on it.  I have to make sure I wear a sports bra because the metal on the clasp of any other bra sets of the metal detectors.

7 AM.  Either I eat some breakfast, or I am out the door to grab some at Starbucks on my way to the prison.  I make sure I have a cup of tea, lunch, and a bottle of water.  None of which can be packaged in glass or metal.

8AM.  Park in the way back of the lot.  It is already full.   Then I sign in, lock up my purse and cell phone, go through the metal detector and have my stuff searched.  Either they will x-ray the bag I brought with me or go through it by hand.  There is one guard who always hassle me.  She looks through every piece of paper I bring.  As an intern I am more than a volunteer, but less than a staff member.   I then wait to get buzzed through a series doors, pick up my radio and keys, and walk to the chapel.

8:30AM.  Most days I quickly check my email, put away my bag, grab my stack of mail, and head over for an hour plus of special meetings.  In the meetings counselors, departments heads, health staff, and security officers will discuss inmates who have any sort of special plan.  While these meetings aren’t always thrilling, but I do appreciate the group process, and mutual respect each team member is given

10:00.  Back in my office.  I set the chairs how I like them, place the tissue in strategic locations, mist the air with lavender spray, turn on some calming music, and set out three chunks or raw quartz crystals.  Now I am ready to call my first inmate in to see me.  I start with people who I have not worked with before and people who express an urgent need.

First I call in two inmates who are related and have requested to have a brief meeting.  One of them is new to the prison, and one has already served two years.  The new inmate is distraught but comforted by the words of the experienced relative.

10:30.  Next I call in an inmate who didn’t say what they need.  The inmate wants a bible in large print, which is maybe a twelve-point font, but it isn’t big enough.  I write myself a note to research giant print bibles and to ask my supervisor if one of the volunteers might donate one to the chapel.

I only have a few minutes left before all of the inmates must return to their units to be counted.  I call in one last inmate who wants to use my telephone to call someone about a financial issue.  I become unpopular when I have to say that we can only make phone calls for major health issues or when someone dies.  Even then I have to verify that someone is really sick or really has died.  My phone is free to use, and the person on the other side doesn’t have to register their phone to answer it.  This makes using a chaplains phone very desirable.

11-12:30 AM.  All of the inmates are being counted and having lunch.  During this time,  I can write back to inmates, make phone calls, check e-mails, and have my own lunch.  I usually eat at my desk while reading some prison or chaplaincy related materials, but today I go out to lunch with two other chaplains so I can discuss some questions I have about things that came up last week.

12:30.  I begin calling in inmates again.  First I talk with an inmate who also attends my Pagan group.  We mostly do dream work together, and it can be very insightful, although I have begun to wonder how much of it is made up on the spot to impress me.

1:30. I call in an inmate who has asked me to be their “teacher.”  We talk about the work the inmate has been doing from my self-study guide and make a plan to work on learning goals.  We also discuss a pretty significant dream the inmate has had and how it relates to their spiritual path.  This is one of the only upbeat inmates I will work with today.

2:15.  I counsel an inmate who is new to the prison and desperately missing their old religious routines.  Inmates on intake can only go to one service a week, but I let them know about other ways they can spend time in the chapel.  I also let the inmate know they can always come and speak with a chaplain. The inmate tells me that they are being hassled by other inmates because of being a child molester.  I offer empathy, and tell them that it usually gets much better when the intake process is over.  Most inmates who serve time for sexually assaulting or molesting a child will make friends groups and be treated fairly well when they get assigned to a unit.

2:45.  While I try to track down my next inmate I read some case notes and check my emails.  I also work on writing a short note to all of the inmates I saw today.  I like to leave them with a blessing or positive affirmation.  Many inmates are so desperately lonely.  A small note can mean a lot to them.

An inmate from my Sunday group pops in to talk to me.  The inmate is in a panic over a personal situation that has arisen.  I hand them a chunk of rose quartz to hold while I help the inmate make a phone call and work through the panic.  They leave feeling calmer, and that helps me breathe a sigh of relief.  I remember to mist the room with more lavender, and I also spray it on my heart Chakra.  I am trying to remember to do this in-between each inmate I work with.

3:00 I meet with an inmate who is planning on getting married next year.  We discuss the logistics of it, and I get a little history on their relationship. I always marvel at inmates who marry other inmates they have never met.  People serving time often become obsessed with relationships and it can be hard for me to keep up with who is dating, engaged, married, or broke up with who.  I’ve mostly stopped trying to keep it straight.   This inmate is so happy that it is infectious, and I hope this is a good step for them.  I was asked to officiate at the wedding, but as an intern I am not allowed to.  I have told them that I will work to find another Pagan who can do the ceremony.

3:30.  I only have a few more minutes before the next count.  I call in one final inmate who wants to know how to let go of the baggage from their past.  As we talk, I realize that this inmate mostly just wants me to pray with them.  I stumble through a Christian prayer and wish them well.

4:00.  I spend my last hour writing notes, reading articles, picking up my office, and sending emails.  One inmate has sent me six letters in the past week, and I take the time to respond to each one.

5:00 I make the trek back through the prison, return my keys and radio, sign out, get my purse, and walk to my car.  The drive home involves rush hour traffic, so I listen to a book on tape to pass the time.

Once home I am back in the land of kids, dinner plans, and chores.  I try to get myself to bed by eleven at the latest so that I can work on homework in the morning without needing too much caffeine.

This was a good day for me.  I like working one-on-one with inmates and no one has told me any heartbreaking stories.  Sometimes the inmates with tragic histories or disturbing crimes seem to pile up on me in one day.  Those nights I go home feeling sad and needing to spend some playful time with my kids.  I hold them a little closer and silently bless the Goddess for sparing them the tragedies that I have seen that day.  Life is never viewed quite the same way after a shift at the prison.

Jail didn't make me find God,

He's always been there.

They can lock me up,

But my spirit and my love

Can never be confined to prison walls.

-Lil Wayne