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
Wow, Holly. How incredibly different from hospital chaplaincy.
ReplyDeleteTwo thing stand out to me in your post. One is the use of stones and lavender spray. How nice to have your religious items with you while you work. I suppose I could take stones with me in my pocket or a bag of some kind, but all the issues of infection control would come into play if I took them out in a room. And I can't spray myself with any scent in case a patient is allergic or reactive, like someone on chemo.
The other aspect is one we do have in common to a degree - reading about the person before meeting with them. But in the hospital, I rarely know about a person having committed a crime. My work is so "in the moment," in discovering what they want to tell me about their past. I guess your inmates presume you've read or heard about their crimes. Can you ever just meet with someone without knowing why they're there? I suppose that might cause problems in the case of someone who lies to you. But in my chaplaincy, I just work with whatever they present to me; it's up to them to present what they want to work on as honestly as they're ready to.
Reading your blog posts reminds me repeatedly that each of us works well with certain populations/situations and not others. I've found mine. I'm glad you've found yours.
Blessed Be, Sister.
Marcella