Insights from Prison: NP
Posted by Anna Debenham, November 8, 2018
One of my students came flying into class on Monday, beaming, saying I’ve got to tell you what happened yesterday, it was pretty amazing. Then he started to explain.
NP is in a 6 month program which is a long time DOC program, and if completed takes 9 months off your custodial sentence. He was three months in to this program and as challenging as it is, he was doing well. It’s now 90 days before his projected release so he goes in front of the parole board for review to figure out his exact release date. However, technology intervenes.
There is a new algorithm computer that calculates risk scores, so when you input ones past sentences, past behaviour and other criteria spits out a likelihood percentage of recidivism. The thing about a computer is, it doesn’t know the person it’s analysing and doesn’t recognise a human beings possibility for change. The computer didn’t like NP’s criteria and well, it didn’t go well. His percentage of recidivism from this algorithm was high enough that he no longer qualified for any programs, so was administratively removed from the program. This also means 11 more months on his sentence. So January release just moved to the end of November. Quite a hard pill to swallow, especially as he’s actually doing great and if a human was looking at his criteria my sense is there would be no question – finish up the program and release in January.
He came into class today quite bewildered by his level of calm and acceptance of the whole situation. Don’t get me wrong he said, I’m sad about it but I would have been raging right now and I’m not. I’m going to be ok. He had such a calm response that when the lieutenant informed him of his dismissal from the program, he didn’t trust his relaxed demeanour and had 3 officers escort him from the program dorm. They thought his level of calm was suspicious and assumed he was bottling it up and going to kick of and explode. Something he would have done in the past. But he didn’t. He was solid in two things: He knows his feelings aren’t coming from his circumstances and that he’s ok no matter what.
He was escorted to intake, out of general population where he was held for a few hours waiting to see where a bed would open up. While there he thought about the next 11 months and the fact he’d need a job. With a quiet mind, it occurred to him to ask another lieutenant about a job – as he was the guy who hired people. By the end of their conversation he had one of the best jobs in prison – in intake. He’s out of the general population all day, it’s (relatively) well paid and he even gets a toilet – with a door. He was amazed. We were all amazed to be fair. What could have ended in a shit show ended with a quiet mind, a great job and good humour.