Entitled to Fairness

One prisoner is owed twenty dollars by another prisoner who fails to pay his debt on time. As a result, the first prisoner retaliates, either stabbing, beating up, or robbing the debtor. Not even hours before the prisoner 'sentences' the debtor to such severe retaliation, he is heard bending the ear of anyone who will listen as he airs his grievance of being unfairly railroaded by the courts. The irony of such duplicity is lost on the prisoner. This characteristic of hypocritical and unbalanced belief in fairness, as well as a sense of entitlement, is common among prisoners.

Fairness is a good quality, but when out of balance even something good can become a negative quality. Many prisoners hold the view that they should be treated fairly, but that they may treat others any way they wish, as in the above example. Entitlement, on the other hand, is the belief that one is owed something by another. This might be tangible, such as money, or intangible, such as respect. This sense of entitlement isn't restricted to prisoners, but it is also pervasive throughout society today. In poor communities entitlement is fostered through the abuse of government programs. If one can get something without working for it often enough, they soon come to believe it is owed to them. Even wealthy people can feel entitled, believing that their wealth earns them certain privileges such as respect, special treatment, and judicial blindness. In prison, entitlement persists as prisoners constantly complain about not receiving something, tangible or intangible, that they feel entitled to.

Many criminal characteristics, such as these, may be common even in free society, yet, they don't always lead to criminal behavior. Even so, our job as prisoners is to identify criminal thinking to correct these errors so we become healthy, productive citizens. It's a process many don't know how to even start, and those who do often lack support or resources to be very successful at it. Many prisoners lack the insight or motivation to make fundamental changes in their behaviors or thinking. For those who do though, successful, self-motivated rehabilitation requires resources like appropriate books, educational and spiritual material, guidance and mentorship, or even simple encouragement. 

What resources would you recommend to prisoners who are working to change? Could you be a resource to help a prisoner change? How can you influence a prisoner who doesn't have the insight or motivation to start the work on his own?