10 Your Role in the Prison

Your role in the prison is to teach. Prison is an environment with extreme needs apart from education, and it’s not unusual to want to help address a variety of student needs.  Additionally, each of us might have personal motivations for working in the prison and might feel ethically compelled to provide assistance, especially when our students request it.

Emotions and personal motivations do not justify a departure from your instructional role.  If you find yourself compelled to provide a service or favor that departs from what an instructor or tutor would normally provide to their student, there is a good chance you are breaking a rule.

Keep in mind that rules limiting your role in the prison exist not only to protect you and prison staff.  They exist to protect the student. Violations of prison rules can result in devastating consequences for the student, including solitary confinement, removal from the class, and transfer to a higher-security facility.

It’s important to take care of yourself and your own needs. This work isn’t easy. Our staff is here to listen if you want to discuss a difficult class or tutoring session, an unpleasant conversation with a student, or a strange interaction with a DOC staff member. You are not alone in experiencing these challenges, and sharing these experiences with others can lighten your emotional load.

We hope instructors and tutors who engage in this work have positive and uplifting experiences, and we know from personal experience that those who engage with students inside the prison environment often feel a sense of balance–that we are learning as much from students as we are helping them learn. Thinking about your experiences through the lens of cooperation–with students, DOC staff, OBB staff, fellow instructors, tutors, and volunteers–should help keep your eyes, mind, and heart focused on the ultimate mission of this work.