Hey guys, it's Cord! For the past four weeks Brian and I have had the privilege to work in HMP Durham prison. I say privilege because we are truly lucky to have had such an amazing, educational, and worthwhile experience. Brian and I worked with the drug and alcohol recovery unit in the prison. Alcoholism and heroin use are very prevalent in the North East of England, and many of the prisoners are addicted to heroin and/or are alcoholics. While drugs are prevalent in the prison, there are the brave and determined ones who are trying to recover. Within the prison, there is exceptional effort put into helping the prisoners wanting to recover from drugs and alcohol.
Our time at the prison consisted primarily shadowing in the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team office. We attended a wide variety of recovery meetings and one-on-one assessments. We also spent a few days in the recovery wing, which provides a drug-free environment for prisoners to focus on their recovery. We were there to observe, but often we were able to interact with the prisoners and contribute to the meetings.
The most surprising aspect of the prison was how easily received and welcomed we were by the prisoners. From the first day, they were eager to talk to us and ask us questions about America. The longer we were there the more comfortable they became with us. We held engaging discussions with them and were treated as an equal contributor to the group sessions. We even developed meaningful relationships with some of the prisoners whom we saw often. Entering I had some apprehension to working the prison due to the stigma associated with Americans prisons. HMP Durham, however, was not as dangerous as I thought it might be, and I felt safe and comfortable working there. Moreover, I thoroughly enjoyed coming to work everyday and interacting with the prisoners in such a deep and positive way.
This experience has been very educational to me. First, I had never really had a cultural immersion like this. Thisis the first time I had been in England, and my conceptions, primarily based on movies and the few Brits I had met, was that the entire country was proper and posh like London. However, it was very interesting learning about the culture of the North East – the accents, the vernacular, and the people. On the first day, we could barely understand their thick Geordie accents, but now 4 weeks later, we had no trouble carrying on conversations with them. Working in the prison really revealed the effects of the loss of the mines and shipbuilding in the 1970s and ‘80s and how the area has really struggled to recover from it. It was truly and immersive experience and I feel like we have now a good understanding of the culture here.
The other thing I really gained from this experience was a better understanding of addiction. In the US, there is such a stigma against addiction – that it is the fault of the addict. After working in the prison and those trying to recover, my outlook has completely changed. These men have lost everything due to their addiction, and it has taken complete hold of their lives. I have become more empathetic to those suffering from addiction and commend those who are trying to recover. We were able to the various stages of recovery from the ones being initially assessed about their drug and alcohol use to ones working in education programs or Alcoholics Anonymous to the prisoners in the recovery wing who are maintaining being clean. The differences are so stark – their stories and even their physical appearance. To see how positive the effects of recovery are is incredible.
On our last two days, the workers and prisoners continually expressed the appreciation of our time at the prison. At the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, one of the prisoners whom we had gotten to know well spoke, thanking us for our time here and saying how much they enjoyed getting to know us. They presented us each a card signed by many of the prisoners we had become fond of. Then today the members of the recovery wing presented a print of the Durham Cathedral and each signed the back, expressing their appreciation. I am truly touched by how we were welcomed. It made it clear how fulfilling this experience has been, and I am blessed to have this experience.
Our time at the prison consisted primarily shadowing in the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team office. We attended a wide variety of recovery meetings and one-on-one assessments. We also spent a few days in the recovery wing, which provides a drug-free environment for prisoners to focus on their recovery. We were there to observe, but often we were able to interact with the prisoners and contribute to the meetings.
The most surprising aspect of the prison was how easily received and welcomed we were by the prisoners. From the first day, they were eager to talk to us and ask us questions about America. The longer we were there the more comfortable they became with us. We held engaging discussions with them and were treated as an equal contributor to the group sessions. We even developed meaningful relationships with some of the prisoners whom we saw often. Entering I had some apprehension to working the prison due to the stigma associated with Americans prisons. HMP Durham, however, was not as dangerous as I thought it might be, and I felt safe and comfortable working there. Moreover, I thoroughly enjoyed coming to work everyday and interacting with the prisoners in such a deep and positive way.
This experience has been very educational to me. First, I had never really had a cultural immersion like this. Thisis the first time I had been in England, and my conceptions, primarily based on movies and the few Brits I had met, was that the entire country was proper and posh like London. However, it was very interesting learning about the culture of the North East – the accents, the vernacular, and the people. On the first day, we could barely understand their thick Geordie accents, but now 4 weeks later, we had no trouble carrying on conversations with them. Working in the prison really revealed the effects of the loss of the mines and shipbuilding in the 1970s and ‘80s and how the area has really struggled to recover from it. It was truly and immersive experience and I feel like we have now a good understanding of the culture here.
The other thing I really gained from this experience was a better understanding of addiction. In the US, there is such a stigma against addiction – that it is the fault of the addict. After working in the prison and those trying to recover, my outlook has completely changed. These men have lost everything due to their addiction, and it has taken complete hold of their lives. I have become more empathetic to those suffering from addiction and commend those who are trying to recover. We were able to the various stages of recovery from the ones being initially assessed about their drug and alcohol use to ones working in education programs or Alcoholics Anonymous to the prisoners in the recovery wing who are maintaining being clean. The differences are so stark – their stories and even their physical appearance. To see how positive the effects of recovery are is incredible.
On our last two days, the workers and prisoners continually expressed the appreciation of our time at the prison. At the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, one of the prisoners whom we had gotten to know well spoke, thanking us for our time here and saying how much they enjoyed getting to know us. They presented us each a card signed by many of the prisoners we had become fond of. Then today the members of the recovery wing presented a print of the Durham Cathedral and each signed the back, expressing their appreciation. I am truly touched by how we were welcomed. It made it clear how fulfilling this experience has been, and I am blessed to have this experience.