White supremacy is abound in North American prisons. Inmate Jerry Metcalf says, “prison is a real life example of the world white supremacists want to return to.” He compares prison life to the 1950s where everything was divided by race.
Rahsaan Thomas, incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, says, “The whole scene scares me. Here I am, incarcerated for 2nd-degree murder, but doing everything in my power to regain a place in society. I’ve trained in Restorative Justice. I’m now taking Guiding Rage Into Power (GRIP). I’ve learned how to address grievances within the system, through the courts or by exercising my free speech.” Dedicated to nonviolence, Thomas is actively working toward what he calls The Dream: a hope that Obama’s election inspired.
Overcoming the inequality prevalent not only in our corrections facilities, but in our justice system, will require going back to our roots. Our Indigenous peoples had it right. Justice is achieved not through operative reprehension but through visceral guidance.
A first step to achieving visceral guidance for inmates and truly correcting wrongdoings is to implement a system for therapeutic rehabilitation. This may come in the form of one-to-one counseling or through a traditional restorative justice circle.
One-to-one counseling is a service currently provided in many correctional facilities across North America. However, the goal of these services is not to provide visceral guidance but to combat recidivism. While an aversion to recidivism is important to incur in the healing process, it should not be the focal point. It is important to address matters on a spiritual level, at the level of the individual. Recidivism is a symptom of personal challenges and these can be worked through in therapeutic one-to-one sessions.
Another solution is the restorative justice circle coined by Indigenous peoples. This process is a unique method of achieving alternative justice, and seeks to promote and repair the damage that was the result of a criminal action. Typically a restorative justice circle includes the victim alongside their supporters, the offender alongside their supporters, any other key persons involved, and the facilitator. The circle provides an opportunity for the community to discuss what happened, understand the conflict, and collaborate on how to deal with what happened. It is worth it to note that this process is only effective when the offender is able to take responsibility for his or her actions.
Standard court processes and plea bargaining behind closed doors often fail to meet the needs of the victims and members of the community. The results of victim satisfaction surveys show that even when the prosecution of an offender has been successful, the results may not meet the needs of the survivor. In studies of battered women, in particular, many had a negative view of the criminal justice system. Most of these women wished to decide whether or not to have an offender arrested and whether or not to withdraw the charges at some later point. Furthermore, they wanted to be treated as individuals by law enforcement officers, much the same as the offenders themselves.
The differences between white supremacist, on one end of the spectrum, and Indigenous worldviews, on the other, account, in large part, for the differences in the philosophy, purposes and practices of our legal and justice systems. Each worldview is the basis for the customs, manners and behaviour that are considered culturally appropriate. One’s individual or cultural understanding of humanity’s place in creation, and the appropriate behaviour that understanding dictates, penetrate and mould all aspects of our life.
Established links between trauma, depression and criminal behavior enlighten us that incarcerated people have many vulnerabilities underlying their maladaptive behaviors. The awareness of ourselves and an Indigenous perspective illustrate the concept of soul loss, which is when part of one’s fundamental essence splinters to escape the full impact of anguish resulting from a traumatic event. Soul loss exacerbates shame, hopelessness, and an overall sense of spiritlessness, heavily indicated by feelings of emptiness and disconnection.
Indigenous wisdom offers a nuanced understanding of offenders’ moral and emotional experiences. From this perspective, we are able to balance head and heart wisdom, typically resulting in a holistic appreciation of the human experience. Coming to terms with soul loss in a supportive and therapeutic environment promotes self-compassion, forgiveness, and the integration of healing, ultimately working to reduce relapse and recidivism.
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