This week I started meeting one-on-one with inmates at the jail who are about to be released. We talk about their immediate plans--who's picking them up (if anyone), whether they have a place to live, how to get their birth certificate, where they can go to get help finding employment, or bus tokens, or food, or a haircut.
Their stories are all different and all the same.
I'm going to have to figure out how to do this job without crying (or carb loading) when I come home for lunch.
3 comments:
Does anyone there provide guidance on managing personal finance? I've always felt that some basic education about managing money, bill paying, savings and checking accounts, credit, and credit cards should be taught in the later years of high school. So, it couldn't hurt to do it in prisons as well.
I totally agree, John. I do a bit of that in the course I put together (also managing time, keeping track of important documents, and stuff like that).
In Utah, high school seniors are required to take a personal finance class. This makes me happy.
As for your post, I can imagine it would be difficult. And possibly rewarding. The people you talk to have been at the lowest points of their lives (I hope). In discussing plans, I'm sure that comes up. It's hard to hear another person's pain.
Once, when I told my friend (who is also a therapist) that I felt bad discussing difficult things with him because I felt like I was burdening him, he said something that really helped. He had to learn to see other people's pain as a really good workout. It hurts and it's hard, but it helps them become stronger. He also said that even with that it doesn't mean he won't cry with me.
I hope your heart stays tender. Crying with them (even privately) is a beautiful thing.
You are the right person for this job.
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