What a Felon Taught Me About Living Life Fully

a post by Tom Fazio for the Tiny Buddha blog


“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn

I met Damon as one of about twenty ex-cons on a hiking expedition up Pike’s Peak. Like the others, he was kind of free, kind of not, released on good behavior to the halfway house and rehab center at which I was interning.

Damon had very recently tasted freedom after many years in the clink, and he was an extremely severe and intimidating individual. A man of very few words, 220 pounds of solid, athletic muscle, and eyes as cold as ice. I couldn’t imagine too many worlds in which he’d really fit. Despite his callous nature, in the few moments we shared atop Pike’s Peak he became my unlikely teacher.

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The Mental Health Crisis Grows On: A Descriptive Analysis of DOC Systems in America

an article by Kristie R. Blevins and Irina R. Soderstrom (Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, USA) published in Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume 54 Issue 2 (2015)

Abstract

Research has established that a large portion of prisoners have diagnosed mental health problems.

Although the importance of providing mental health treatment for prisoners has been recognized, it is not clear what services state prison systems offer. The current study uses data obtained from content analyses, mail surveys, and phone interviews of mental health chief administrators of state prison systems to describe the norm in terms of mental health care and related services provided to state prison inmates.

Findings indicate that most systems have dedicated and competent mental health staff working in their systems and that state systems are committed to providing needed services to inmates with mental illnesses.

There are, however, also several obstacles, such as a lack of adequate staffing and resources, limited housing and bed space for prisoners with mental illnesses, and a lack of post-release services.

Hazel’s comment:
I wonder if the situation is better or worse in the UK. I suspect worse, probably a lot worse.

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