Define the problem
When you see a prisoner facing some form of stress or difficulty, the first step is to sit down with the prisoner and attempt to define the exact nature of the problem. Often the way the prisoner sees the problem is itself part of the problem. They may need assistance to get a new perspective.
Examples:
- A prisoner, having heard that another prisoner is spreading malicious lies and creating hostility towards him, might initially describe the problem as: “That bastard is out to make my life hell”.
This way of defining the problem leads the prisoner to conclude that he must “knock the bastard over – it’s the only way to show him.”
Ideally, you can guide the prisoner to see the problem differently, perhaps: “I am feeling threatened”.
- A prisoner might describe the problem as “My partner is a lazy, selfish cow”.
This way of defining the problem has led the prisoner to scream abuse to his partner over the phone, apparently because she has told him she can’t afford to visit him.
You may be able to help the prisoner to describe the problem as “My partner doesn’t have enough money to pay for transport to visit.” or “I don’t cope very well when she doesn’t visit.”
Identify the goal
Help the prisoner to work out the desired outcome. Pose the question “What do you want to achieve? What would things need to be like for you to feel this was sorted?”
Examples (based on above examples):
- You may be able to guide the prisoner to change his goal from “That bastard needs to be taught a lesson.” to “I want the lying and bullshit to stop.”
- You may be able to help the prisoner to change his goal from “Get her to visit me this weekend” to “I need to cope better with missing the occasional visit.” or “I would like to get more visits.”
Brainstorm alternative solutions
Join with the prisoner in trying to think of as many alternative possible solutions as possible. Write them down. Rules for good brainstorming are:
- Two (or even better, six) heads are better than one.
- Think laterally.
- Go for quantity not quality.
- Don’t judge anything until all the ideas are out.
- Don’t stop until you have a page-full of ideas.
Try the most promising alternative
Work with the prisoner as follows:
- Talk through the alternatives.
- Select the best and most promising one.
- Discuss the ways this can best be put into practice, i.e. what steps are to be followed, the timeframe, who else needs to be involved, etc.
Review
Always get back together with the prisoner at an agreed time later and check out how well the solution went. If it clearly has not worked, go back to the last step and proceed from there.
