Notes To My Inmates

I think I am the only Correctional Officer who does this. If not, like to meet other officers who do, and that have a passion for re-entry.

Everyday when I come into the dorm at 0600, at my first opportunity I leave an inspirational thought for my inmate residents. I jot it down on a piece of scratch paper and tape one copy to one side of the dorm, and another copy to the other side. I also write one more copy of it in my journal. The thoughts come from where ever - literally. Sometimes they are a quote I heard the day before, or they may come from my devotional time that weigh heavy on my heart and mind. I've been doing this ever since I started and I plan on continuing. Even though I am a by-the-book policy and procedure guy, there is no policy on this and inspirational thoughts I'm sure would be approved. The embedded images are some of the notes I get back from my inmates.

Why do I do it? As of June 5, 2016, 63% (92 of 145) of my dormitory residents will be released from their prison sentence by the year 2020. Will they be ready?  Is there anything we can do, indeed something I can do to help them in their successful re-entry back into society to help them be employed, responsible, caring and law-abiding sons, fathers and husbands. That is why I do what I do.

My guideline for notes to inmates is that it must be applicable to all. If it is religious in nature, which my notes sometime are, they must be acceptable to all faiths. The faiths represented in my dorm right now include several Christian denominations, Jewish, Islam, Wicca and Buddhism (that I know of). 

This is what my last note said:

Faith and Family

Faith and family are two things we should hold dear and value the most. What can you do today to strengthen these? A letter? A prayer? A thought? A phone call?  Think about it.

Follows is another note back from one of my inmates...

My Woes of Visiting A Doctor (a rant)

Why do I have such a hard time going to the doctor?

The irrational side of me seriously considers there to be health care conspiracy. The medical industry wants us to spend money any way possible. If we're ailing, they want us to visit doctors and clinics as much as possible, and if we're well they want us to confirm that on an irrational regular basis one co-pay at a time.

In my experience, when I finally get to the doctor the staff treat me like its a privilege to see them, and even if I have an appointment for a simple consultation I have to wait for hours. Below is the poem I wrote while waiting after I counted the flooring boards and ceiling tiles, rearranged the gloves in their cases to be in order by size, estimated the number of tongue depressors and Q-Tips in the jars and see how bright the ear light was in illuminating my little cubicle of a room. Even the broken TV in the room seemed to mock me whispering, "You can't watch me even if you wanted to, so I'll sit up here on the shelf to remind you how boring this experience is."

My Doctors Visit

I sit in a doctors room for hours at a time.
Nil to see or hear, except my teeth grind.
The nurses they greet,
All the patients so sweet.
All the while I'm losing my mind.

gk