Mindfulness in Corrections

Thousands of high-security inmates dressed in blue shuffle throughout the confines of pale yellow walls at the Oregon State Penitentiary. Corrections Officer, David Ashley, paces up and down the Charlie "C," ward near the special housing unit, home to over 200 inmates with mental illnesses and behavioral issues. Ashley has worked on the line for seven years. Even after nearly a decade of experiences within the walls, the days are no more predictable now than they were at the start. For many faculty members working on the line, the regular and consistent exposure to the negative environment of a high-security prison results in a variety of physiological and mental traumas. A study conducted by Portland State University in 2012 showed that 1 in 3 Oregon corrections workers suffer from symptoms of PTSD with 97% witnessing violence, injury or death.

On his first day, Ashley was handed a set of keys, given some simple instructions on how to lock and unlock gates and cells and told to start working his tier. Ashley was surprised at the lack of comradery and communication that existed within the environment he refers to as “old school corrections”. “They wouldn’t talk to me until I had a star on my chest”, Ashley said pointing to the golden emblem on his badge, one that a prison faculty member is awarded after five years of employment. But over the years, staff training has dramatically improved, and the themes of isolation and segregation have begun to dissolve. In 2014, OSP implemented a mindfulness and resiliency training program that focused on dealing with the negative externalities of working within a prison setting. Classes ranging in content from breathing exercises to full body scan meditation are offered to a variety of staff members twice a week in two hour sessions. “The mindfulness classes have helped me become aware of my stress and have given me tools to decompress and help mitigate some of the risks of burn out”, Ashley said. “Burn out” is a state of over-stress and overstimulation that can result in a variety of health impacts. In previous years, Ashley saw his blood pressure skyrocket at times to 177 over 100. He struggled in social settings outside of work and found himself having trouble doing the activities he once loved. “But since my first couple years in corrections, it’s changed”. Today Ashley is involved with multiple proactive community programs within the prison. He is a member of the West Side Honor Guard Team that organizes and deals with funeral honors within the staff team. He is also an ESS instructor, and dedicates his time to providing support to new staff members who have experienced traumatic events.

David Ashley is a third-generation corrections officer who has worked at the Oregon State Penitentiary for almost seven years. After returning home from serving multiple tours in Iraq, Ashley was seeking a job where he could transfer over his military training and experiences. The transition was difficult at first when he discovered many of his hard-edge military tactics and behaviors couldn’t function in a prison setting. “For the first couple months, I was constantly looking for trouble, looking for confrontation, and I found out that just wasn’t going to work”.

After being handed a set of keys and some simple instructions on how to open and close cell gates, Ashley began his correctional career. Early on he looked for guidance but was consistently ignored or disregarded. “Most staff won’t talk with you unless you have five years under your belt. Because I hadn’t proven myself, I was sort of segregated”.

A display case shows a varierty of confiscated contriban found in cells throughout the prison. After his lengthy shifts ended, Ashley attempted to leave work at the prison when he went home at night. But the daily stresses of his job had made their way into his home life. “When you’re working in a negative environment like a prison setting, what happens is you start creating these firm boundaries, and sometimes you take those boundaries outside of work. You start having these expectations, you stop trusting people and you can find yourself being really isolated”, Ashley said.

In 2014, OSP implemented a mindfulness program aimed to aid the mental health of prison employees through meditation, breathing exercises, and self-care training. For many of the CO’s including Ashley, the mindfulness classes have dramatically improved the way they live and function both inside and outside of work. Ashley has continued to use the mindfulness tactics and strategies at home. Him and his significant other partake in full body scans and meditation in the evening to help guide sleep. Ashley also continues to works as a leader in crisis intervention to help aid traumatic events newer staff members have experienced.

Dave Wilson works as the Assistant Superintendent of Correctional Rehabilitation at OSP. Each star on his badge represents five years of employment at the prison. For over a decade, Wilson worked on the line as a Corrections Officer. When he started, the training and attention to staff was limited to none. At first, Wilson struggled to form relationships with his fellow corrections staff members. “Growing up I was a missionary’s kid, and that meant moving every two and a half years. I was in four different elementary schools, two different middle schools and three different high schools," Wilson said. "So, for me to come in and be the new kid was nothing new”. The strenuous and repeated tasks of his job were taking a physical toll on his body. After the first few years of his employment, Wilson started to experience some severe back problems which resulted in two ruptured discs. During his physical therapy, Wilson decided to seek an alternative treatment. Mindfulness was his answer. Wilson used techniques from yoga to full body scan meditation sessions. “It completely redefined my relationship with my pain”, Wilson said. “But at the time it was just there. It was a tool I could grab but I didn’t really practice it”. It wasn’t until the end of his mindfulness physical training when he realized that what he was learning through the course could be applied to his personal and work life.

Today Wilson continues to use the mindfulness techniques he learned in his day to day life. At work, he feels he is more aware of his surroundings and attentive to the moods of his fellow staff members. At home, he has become a more active listener, and has begun to recognize the small moments and beauties around him. “I went through and I identified areas where I felt like I needed some growth. Where mindfulness could work to my ability,” Wilson said. “It started this journey of, what kind of leader and what kind of person do I want to be?”.

During his daily errands, Dave makes a stop at Wild Birds Unlimited to purchase some Birdseed for his new feeder. “When I was driving to and from work I realized I was using music as a distraction. About two years ago I turned the music off and just started to recognize what was around me… Seeing the seasons change”.

Dave identified every species of bird that came through his backyard to feed. From the black-capped Chickadee to the House Sparrow, he recognized all their calls and feeding behaviors.

“Probably the biggest thing I took out of that first ten-week experience was this realization that I was not maximizing this wonderful place that is valley Oregon, and really the role that nature has in filling the spirituality of my personal journey”.

At the prison, Wilson has an extensive list of duties that includeoverseeing the institution’s food services, recreation, and correction rehabilitation section, while acting as a liaison of all programs, religious services and volunteers. His regimen flows into his life at home. The list contains a four-year vegetable rotation plan for the new garden he and his wife are starting in their backyard.

At home Wilson and his wife meditate twice a day, ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes before bed. On the weekends they complete their longer sessions.

“We are beginning to explore some of the tenants and learning more and more about eastern philosophy and how the meditation and yoga apply to other aspects of our lives”.