Building a kinder society

May 29--Preventing violence by creating a kinder society in which all people are appreciated could sound like a monumental task -- especially in a prison.

A new initiative to do just that -- teach people to be kind rather than violent -- has proven successful in the Wabash Valley at the federal prison complex on Terre Haute's south side.

"We are trying to flip the script. If we work ourselves out of business, we are good with that," said Rebecca Moore, one of the violence prevention team leaders who met for 18 weeks with three groups of federal prisoners who volunteered for the class.

Flipping the script in this case means teaching a person who feels wronged by someone else not to retaliate, or, prompting a person to intervene with reason when actions between two people could build into a fight later.

The program has been developed and introduced by CODA -- the Council on Domestic Abuse. CODA has been a long-time advocate in the Wabash Valley to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault through societal change and the empowerment of abused individuals and their minor children.

CODA offers a shelter, legal advocacy and education programs for people experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault.

Moore and fellow team leader Melissa Reed have been part of CODA's effort to create the new primary prevention program recently presented at the federal correctional facility on Terre Haute's south side. Moore is CODA's community prevention specialist, and Reed is CODA's director of legal services.

CODA's Exploring Healthy Relationships Initiatives will work with more than 450 inmates this year. Those are inmates who will one day be released from prison, and because of this program, will re-enter society able to provide safe, stable, nurturing environments for themselves, their families, co-workers, peers and fellow citizens. A new round of classes is to begin in June.

Through feedback from their class participants, Reed and Moore have already heard positive feedback from inmates who have used their new skills in prison.

One example reported in class involved an inmate who was unhappy because he was being shorted on meal portions by another inmate dishing up the food. When a third inmate saw what was happening between the two men, Reed said, that third inmate approached in a non-threatening manner and talked the unhappy inmate out of starting a retaliatory fight.

"We are giving them another tool for their tool belt so they can resolve issues in a non-violent way," Reed said.

The security escorts who take Reed and Moore to their weekly class meetings have also given positive reports that the inmates in class are sharing what they learn with others, including prison staff.

Behavior impacts others

So what do they learn?

The class members are taught to understand how their behavior impacts others. That concept sounds simple, but for people who did not grow up with adults who modeled kindness rather than violence, it can be a uncomfortable stretch.

"These thoughts are new because it is sparking different mindsets," Reed said. "We go in to plant seeds, and it is up to them to nurture these ideas into their own values."

One of the classes talks to the inmates about privileges they have, even as prisoners. And they are given homework to reinforce the class material.

For example, privileges they might have include not being a "lifer" but having a second chance after leaving prison, or being healthy, without a disability or mobility issue.

When the tendency is to feel at a disadvantage because they are in prison, or in other ways feel oppressed or short-changed by their life situation, the inmates are asked to see that life hasn't always dealt them a raw deal.

And feeling better about themselves can create different perspective for people and situations they encounter. Especially in prison, where people are confined in close quarters and often come from various backgrounds.

"We are teaching them that even in prison, they have relationships, and can create a safer bond with each other," Reed said. "These values are universal."

"It costs nothing to model positive behavior to others," Moore added, citing examples such as holding doors open for others and exchanging pleasantries. "If enough people do that, then the community cares. We are trying to get it out there in front of violence."

Developing the program

CODA came up with the program after being selected by the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, headquartered in Indianapolis, to use the state's share of federal grant monies directed to 10 states to develop programs to prevent intimate partner violence. Intimate partners in this case means not only couples, but people living or working in close quarters such as prisons.

Colleen Yeakle of ICADV said CODA was selected to come up with Indiana's program because of their eagerness to end domestic violence in their five-county area.

"They have been innovative," Yeakle said of CODA, "Their willingness and openness and enthusiasm made them a good partner to develop this. And now they are investing energy in how to do this."

Getting out ahead of violence, as Moore puts it, is a new strategy for CODA.

To develop the new program, Moore, Reed and a CODA team knew there was not a lot of research on how to prevent violence, so they look at the biggest risk factors to predict violence.

They then looked for initiatives to respond to those risk factors and eliminate violence through societal change. They decided to focus on developing safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments where people live, learn, work and play.

Reed said that the safety component means that people are safe from discrimination and violence, and stable means being predictable and not chaotic. Nurturing involves providing love, and receiving love.

After developing a curriculum, Reed and Moore were ready to take the program to the federal prison complex.

They presented a six-week program at each of the three facilities -- the penitentiary, the prison and the work camp -- recently completing the 18-week program.

For their efforts, Moore and Reed recently accepted the 2017 Reentry Initiative of the Year Award from Warden Jeffrey E. Krueger.

CODA executive director Sarah Campbell said winning the award from the prison is a testament to the program's effectiveness.

Following up

Now that the program has gone through its first classes, Reed said, feedback from the inmates has prompted some tweaks to the class instruction. There will be more role-playing and discussions by the inmates, she said, rather than just lecture. The first class volunteers were a bit hesitant to engage on those fronts, she said, but now that the program has gained traction among the prisoners, she hopes they will loosen up and be more interactive.

Whether the program works in the long run by creating a less violent society may be difficult to directly track in the future, Reed and Moore acknowledged. They can keep no data on the inmates participating, other than receiving their anonymous comments.

Once the inmates are released, the majority will leave the Wabash Valley to return to their home states. The hope is they will take their new skills with them and be agents of change in their home communities.

And that is the widespread impact intended from the federal grant money that funded the program.

CODA received $24,000 divided over two years to fund development and implementation of their program.

Those funds -- which come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- must now be replaced by other grants and donations, Moore said. Fundraising is always an issue for CODA to keep its 48 bed shelter operating, and its programs in the community.

Anyone wanting to support CODA and its programs, and to learn more about the Exploring Healthy Relationships Initiatives can contact CODA at 812-234-3441 or go online to www.codaterrehaute.org.

Lisa Trigg can be reached at 812-231-4254 or at lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter at TribStarLisa.

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