Personal feedback is a way of influencing a person by providing an immediate commentary on their behaviour. Such feedback may open their eyes to a different way of seeing things, and give them an opportunity to re-evaluate their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour.
To be effective, feedback must:
The following table gives examples of feedback you might give in certain situations.
| When the prisoner | you might say something such as |
|---|---|
| blames his victim for his fate | “Personally, I can’t accept that anyone could do something that meant he deserved being beaten.” |
| is scornful about working for a living | “Having a lot of money is nice, but self-respect is important too – personally, I wouldn’t have any respect for myself if my money came through stealing from other people.” |
| is excited about getting back into drugs | “If I were you, I would be thinking instead of all the grief that is going to come down on me through drugs and drinking.” |
| neglects his children during visits | “You know, I think your children are missing out a bit. I wonder how they feel when their dad hardly says a word to them all through the visit.” |
| brings drugs into the unit | “You have made a choice that now has an effect on a lot of other people, not just yourself – I wonder whether you considered that possibility at the time.” |
| threatens violence towards another prisoner |
“I know you don’t like him, but this is way over the top – my observation is that every time you do something like this you simply create a worse set of problems between yourself and others.” |
| intimidates other prisoners; has a violent temper | “This seems to be the only way you know how to get what you want – I would find it horrible to relate to people solely through aggression and threats. Don’t you wonder sometimes what you might be missing out on by being this way?” |
| abuses partner over the phone |
“I know how important visits are when you are locked up. Can you put yourself in her shoes for a moment?” |