Holidays While Incarcerated & How Technology Can Be the Gift That Provides Joy & Hope

I was invited to speak at a conference this year in another country. I spoke about the benefits of providing educational opportunities to incarcerated students and detailed programs I and my various teams had built over the years that proved to be highly successful in giving folks more of a leg-up when they were released. At the end of my talk there was time allotted for Q&A, and this gentleman approached the mic and identified himself as what we would call a federal judge. His question was, “Don’t you think you’re making prison a little too comfortable for people?” And without hesitation or time to reflect, I responded, “Sir, there’s nothing comfortable about being in prison.”

There isn’t. Truly. Since the prison system in the U.S. is designed to punish, it is a huge success. Absolutely nothing comfortable about it. Take holidays, for instance. Besides the lackluster food (I’m being generous there), the tiny living space (that you’re usually sharing with a stranger or maybe you’re in a room with a hundred strangers), the fear of personal danger, the boredom, the clothes that don’t fit, demeaning strip searches, dearth of intellectual stimulation, dismal decor, removal of any personal agency…I’ll just stop there because these are the nicer things about being incarcerated and it’s a holiday, for goodness sakes, so I’ll spare you the not-so-nice parts.

It’s a holiday. Imagine all of that, then top it with the depression of knowing your loved ones are gathering without you, or it’s a holiday you don’t celebrate but everything has come to a halt because the majority of the staff do. Holidays inside are tough. School stops, there’s usually not enough staff to have events, and the public becomes busy with their own holiday activities. There are great non-profits and community based organizations that do good work around holiday depression, but one of the coolest ways I’ve seen joy brought to students is through technology.

At the DC DOC, all residents had access to APDS tablets. A local organization, Neighbors for Justice asked to give us cards that we could distribute at Christmas, and instead, I asked if they could take pictures of cards, letters of encouragement, and artwork and put them in a shared drive. I spent evenings at home uploading those artifacts onto the LMS so that every resident had access to them. It was a big hit. There were drawings by children, pictures of people’s pets, stories about holidays in the city, and of course, words of encouragement. We also had a virtual classroom app on our tablets, so our education staff would schedule a time for their students to meet on the app during their time off to have a virtual holiday check in. It took very little time away from our staffs’ holiday time, they didn’t have to come in to do it, and it meant the world to their students. This wasn’t mandatory, it was something our staff wanted to do and did voluntarily because they cared deeply about their students and their mental health. Prior to taking time off, we created short courses and loaded video series and projects that were launched before we took a week off so that there were plenty of activities to keep people busy and occupied and stimulated.

APDS tablets don’t connect to the internet, as a reminder, so if you’re reading this as a correctional professional and thinking these are security risks, they aren’t. But they can be life-savers. Technology isn’t a liability inside, it’s a game-changer. It increases safety. It provides opportunity. It prepares people for successful reentry and reintegration. It staves off holiday depression. It’s the 21st century, and technology should not be absent from our classrooms in prisons and jails. Just sayin’.

If you’re interested in doing some community service during holidays, check out what organizations volunteer in prisons, and if you’re an advocate, help your local criminal justice system figure out how to safely provide technology to residents. The children of incarcerated parents also suffer during this time, so there are ways to bring them some comfort as well. Check that out in your area, or better yet, launch something yourself.

If you aren’t able to do those things, then at least send some positive juju to people who are separated from their families at such a joyous time.

I hope you’ve had time with your family and loved ones, or got some much needed peace on your own, or a break from work, or a time of rejuvenation…whatever it is you need at this moment, my wish is that you find it. Peace, love, and joy to you!

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