Jail Visit - Conclusion
As I left the county jail, the large sliding door clanged shut behind me. Just then a whoosh of breath left me. Until that moment, I did not realize the tension that I was holding in. In hindsight, this should not be surprising. I had spent the last 90 minutes in a completely foreign environment with 8 or 9 jail inmates. Furthermore, I knew Dave a little bit, but I had never met the keyboard guy before. I really had no idea what to expect and I felt "on guard" the whole time.
I went back to the entry desk and collected my drivers license and keys. Dave and I chatted as we walked out into the sunny and warm day. He turned to me and asked me if I would like to try it again. I paused to gather my thoughts. Two impressions immediately came to mind: 1) I would like to see what the usual group of inmates was like and 2) my role had largely been as an observer, I would like to be more of a participant and see what that would be like. So I told Dave that I would like to think about it some more, but next time I would like to play a more active role. Dave suggested that the 25th would be the next time that he was going. Maybe we could meet before that and discuss what type of role that I could play. Dave thanked me for coming and then we parted ways.
In retrospect, it was quite a powerful experience. In every case, the inmates were very polite and friendly to me. Most of the inmates seemed to be genuinely engaged and thankful for the opportunity to participate in the meeting. As an aside, I am guessing that this meeting was only available to inmates who were on good behavior. I doubt that we would ever see inmates who were causing problems. Note that this is perfectly fine with me. Maybe the problem makers could use the help more, but I am happy to leave that to others.
Some of the inmates were pretty intense, but it seemed largely that they had a message that they wanted to deliver and to be heard. Once they had a chance to tell their stories, they seemed to relax and settle down. Furthermore, it was very moving to see how the Lord had touched their lives in jail. I cannot imagine too many situations that are more desperate or depressing, yet the inmates still held steadfastly to their spirituality and the Lord was with them.
I am also struck by how unprepared I felt for the whole experience. I would have benefited from a more thorough briefing. This is a common problem. Almost everywhere that I have worked, the new hire orientation is pretty poor. I often hear of people showing up for their first day of work and the organization is completely unprepared for them. Occasionally, a manager will take the time to prepare for a new employee, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. I was thinking that I could prepare some material that could ease the first time experience for future participants. And then ...
I got an email from Dave telling me that one of the other members of the men's team had prepared "a booklet intended for other UCC churches considering similar jail ministries." I have not seen the booklet, however it seems like it would make a good guide for other first time participants. Or at least a good beginning. I have been asked to help with a work party to prepare the booklets; I will bring it up at that time.
Well, that's it for my jail visit.
I went back to the entry desk and collected my drivers license and keys. Dave and I chatted as we walked out into the sunny and warm day. He turned to me and asked me if I would like to try it again. I paused to gather my thoughts. Two impressions immediately came to mind: 1) I would like to see what the usual group of inmates was like and 2) my role had largely been as an observer, I would like to be more of a participant and see what that would be like. So I told Dave that I would like to think about it some more, but next time I would like to play a more active role. Dave suggested that the 25th would be the next time that he was going. Maybe we could meet before that and discuss what type of role that I could play. Dave thanked me for coming and then we parted ways.
In retrospect, it was quite a powerful experience. In every case, the inmates were very polite and friendly to me. Most of the inmates seemed to be genuinely engaged and thankful for the opportunity to participate in the meeting. As an aside, I am guessing that this meeting was only available to inmates who were on good behavior. I doubt that we would ever see inmates who were causing problems. Note that this is perfectly fine with me. Maybe the problem makers could use the help more, but I am happy to leave that to others.
Some of the inmates were pretty intense, but it seemed largely that they had a message that they wanted to deliver and to be heard. Once they had a chance to tell their stories, they seemed to relax and settle down. Furthermore, it was very moving to see how the Lord had touched their lives in jail. I cannot imagine too many situations that are more desperate or depressing, yet the inmates still held steadfastly to their spirituality and the Lord was with them.
I am also struck by how unprepared I felt for the whole experience. I would have benefited from a more thorough briefing. This is a common problem. Almost everywhere that I have worked, the new hire orientation is pretty poor. I often hear of people showing up for their first day of work and the organization is completely unprepared for them. Occasionally, a manager will take the time to prepare for a new employee, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. I was thinking that I could prepare some material that could ease the first time experience for future participants. And then ...
I got an email from Dave telling me that one of the other members of the men's team had prepared "a booklet intended for other UCC churches considering similar jail ministries." I have not seen the booklet, however it seems like it would make a good guide for other first time participants. Or at least a good beginning. I have been asked to help with a work party to prepare the booklets; I will bring it up at that time.
Well, that's it for my jail visit.
posted by Steve @ 6:26 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home