By: Taylor Doughtie, PLTC Communications Committee Student Member
During the holiday season, we busily prepare for festivities with our loved ones…and mentally prepare for their sometimes intrusive questions about our lives.
–When are you going to be done with graduate school?
-How’s the psychology business?
-When are you ever going to take time off from the office?
This year, I am expecting a new question on my loved ones’ rosters:
–What’s it like working with older adult inmates in a prison?
As I mentally prepare to answer their questions about prison work, please join me with a cup of your favorite holiday beverage and relax as we take a snapshot look at my experiences as a psychologist in training at a correctional facility.
-What type of client are you seeing?
The inmates at the correctional center have been convicted of a variety of crimes, from parole violations to sexual offenses or murder. Many of the inmates at the correctional center are older adults, some finishing long sentences from crimes in their younger years, and some convicted of crimes as older adults. There is actually a growing number of older adult inmates in the United States prison system. Between 1999 and 2016, there was a 280 percent increase in the number of inmates 55 years old and older, which equates to 11 percent of the prison population (McKillop & Boucher, 2018). There is a growing need for medical and mental health services for this aging population of inmates.
-Do the inmates ever share with you why they were incarcerated?
Sometimes inmates voluntarily want to share their stories, but I generally do not ask them for minute details. If inmates appear distressed about me possibly thinking negatively of them because of the crimes committed, I usually say, “It does not matter to me how you got here. It matters to me how you are doing now and how you live your life going forward.” My job is not to make them feel worse about themselves by dwelling on their past mistakes and labeling them based on one or several instances of poor judgment. My job is to help them manage their mental health concerns, cope with being incarcerated, and prepare for their futures, whether that is probational release or incarceration for the rest of their lives.
-Why do you want to help older adult inmates?
When I became a graduate student, I wanted to advocate for clients, to work collaboratively with medical and other adjunctive services for their care, and to help them live their most fulfilled lives. Initially, I thought this might be through a skilled nursing facility or a non-profit. Through some twists and turns along my own graduate school journey, I was given an opportunity to work at a correctional center and found that I am able to do all of the above. It is a professionally rewarding experience to help inmates better themselves and find meaning and purpose in their lives. For those with cognitive decline, it is amazing to witness the significance that a few moments of joy of reminiscing on favorite topics like music can bring, even if it is fleeting. Though at times it can be hard work, it is so rewarding to see the gains these clients have made so far and to realize that the mental health services they are receiving are a small contribution on their journeys to bettering their lives.
Thank you for joining me as I reflected and prepared for my loved ones’ many questions about my clinical work in a prison setting this year. As you put your holiday cup of cheer on the table, I wish you well as you mentally prepare for your own loved ones’ many intrusive questions. Happy Holidays!
About the Blogger:
Taylor Doughtie is a graduate student currently working in a correctional center. She is a Psychologists in Long Term Care (PLTC) member and is currently on the Communications Committee. She is also an English language editor for the Clinical Gerontologist.
Reference
McKillop, M. and Boucher, A. (2018). Aging prison populations drive up costs. Pew Trusts. Retrieved from https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/02/20/aging-prison-populations-drive-up-costs
Thank you for your blog Taylor. It’s given me a different perspective on working in the prison system. Have you been able to limit your work there to only older adults?