Paying it Forward in Prison -- Recovery and Rehabilitation

 In prison I facilitate (teach) an addiction recovery group called Breaking the Chains. It utilizes some Alcoholics Anonymous materials, as well as materials I've developed on subjects related to addiction issues. After recently training several other facilitators, we now conduct six classes a week, each meeting twice a week. Each class has around 15 participants at any given time. 

In recent months, we've had a surge in requests to take the class. We now have nearly eighty prisoners on a waiting list to take the ten week class. There's not much else to do at Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan, unless you are a prisoner who has been accepted into the Jackson College program or the Vocational Village trades program. 

Some of the prisoners who participate in Breaking the Chains are there simply because they want the certificate and the parole board recognition of participating in a self-help group. That's fine. I don't mind those prisoners attending. I hope they get something out of sitting through the classes. Others, though, are actively working on gaining or sustaining recovery. 

One of the likeliest causes of a person returning to prison is when he (or she) returns or continues in their substance addiction. To support a drug or alcohol habit, some return to crime, which inevitably leads back to prison. We have some prisoners in our groups who have been to prison five or six times, usually for the same types of crimes. 

I get a sense of fulfillment in teaching these classes. I've seen prisoners decide to stay on their mood stabilizing medications after discussions in class, begin setting and working towards goals, identify and focus on living into their values, and do the difficult work of forgiveness and making amends for their past wrongs. I've also seen guys relapse, and though that can be discouraging, it's still satisfying to know they have more tools to recover (again) now than they did in the past. 

Substance abuse continues to be a big problem for many prisoners (as well as those in the free world!). That's why I focus on helping these men identify and deal with the root issues that led to their addictions. Failing to deal with the root cause means any recovery will simply move the problem to another area of their lives. Discovering that root cause, though, is tough for a lot of these men. Their lives are often marred by a history of trauma, and that makes it tough for them to know where to start. 

I don't believe I can give these guys everything they need to know to recover, but it feels good to have a purpose in prison that leads other prisoners to unburden themselves and make better choices. It feels good to be able to make even a small difference. I'm simply paying it forward after others have helped me along the way.