Insights from Prison: MK

Posted by Anna Debenham, May 30, 2017

One of the guys from my prison group was released about 3 weeks ago. I met up with him on Friday to see how he was doing settling into life outside. He’s doing great. Of course it was all a little overwhelming at first, lots to take in, jumping through the hoops to satisfy his PO (parole officer), places he needs to check in with, and trying to find work. And then there is the stimulation of life outside prison; basic decisions can be challenging having had every decision made for you for years.

He was full of anxiety when he first released but when I saw him he was smiling and looked relaxed. And he got a job. I asked him how that came about. He said he did almost the opposite of what prison tells them to do. “Why what happened” , I asked? He said, “Well I was in the interview and the interviewer asked why there was a gap in his resume. I told him I’ve been in prison. I just felt compelled to tell the truth.” Something they are told to be vague about if they want to get work. So, how did it go down? “Well, she asked me more questions about what I’d been inside for and I just told her the truth. She seemed a bit nervous and said she needed to talk to her boss. A little while later she came back and said we really appreciate your honesty. You have the job.”

What allowed him to be so forthright? The difference he said was his state of mind. Yes, he wanted the job but he didn’t have anything on it. He knew he’d be okay whether he got this job or not. Coming into the interview he said he had a quiet mind and it just felt right to be honest. “Before, I would have been guessing what I thought they wanted to hear, definitely trying to avoid telling them where I’d been, and I’ve have basically been on edge the whole time. This time I was calm and was totally present to the whole situation. I listened to the questions and then just answered them. I felt okay just being me”.

Life can be easier than we think.