If the volunteer does not bring the commodities for which he is needed, he will not be as valuable in serving the prisoners. I have argued for volunteers in the prisons, as part of reforming them, but, it will do no good to have the volunteer there unless he or she conveys two things: love and example.
Unfortunately, you can have volunteers without having those two things. You can have a person who bears no ill will towards anyone, but who lacks the skill of displaying love. And, you might have a person of great character, but unless that character is displayed to the prisoner, it does no good.
Love and the example-hood must be on display.
I will pause at this point, and reiterate how much these two things can impact our prisons, can turn them from being just holding cells into being real reformation centers. These are two principles that society has learned. One, that people respond to love. We have seen a greater tendency for children to lean toward delinquency when parents are absent. We have heard the maxim, I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care. Love is more powerful than the whip in changing the character of a person.
And, being an example? The importance of role models is also something society has learned. We are reflections of those around us, to a large extent. We learn by example. We say, Show me how it's done.
Although teaching is often separated from being an example, it can be part of it. Telling a person what they need to do is a form of putting what needs done on display.
Someone the other day told me they did not like my idea of more volunteers in the prison. They suggested trained professionals are needed, not volunteers. I can see their argument. You've got to know what you are doing to get the job done right. So, I say, train the volunteers.
To know how to love and to know how to be an example.
Teach the volunteer to be warm and positive, to smile, and to say nice things. Teach them to exude niceness, for this is love. Asking about the prisoner's life, and learning his or her needs, is also part of it. Trying to help the prisoner with needs can also be part of it.
But, the greatest thing is just to convey warmth and acceptance.
You don't need to go to school and get a degree to learn how to do those things, to learn how to show love. You can be as "professional" at it as are the "professionals." You can be told but one time what to do to show love, and if it is a character trait you are naturally inclined toward, you will be able to do it on that very first effort.
I wonder, too, if having volunteers, invests the community in the prisoner. There then is among the community those who are speaking well of those returning from prison, who are helping roll out the welcome carpets when the prisoner returns. Love will be needed as much when the prisoner exits the prison as while he is in.
This is not to say the full-time workers should not be among the ones showing love. They, along with the volunteers, need to love the prisoners. I am only saying there are benefits to having volunteers among those who do the loving.
Being an example? It would be good if the volunteer could roll up his sleeves and work right alongside the prisoner, being faced with the same situations and reacting to them in the appropriate ways and thereby showing the prisoner how it is done. However, even without the volunteer being alongside the prisoner all day, there can be situations where the volunteer serves as a role model. If there are activities they are sharing, situations will come up where the volunteer has a chance to react, and thus show the prisoner how to react.
But, teaching will also be part of it. The volunteer must be willing to gently tell the prisoner ways in which his conduct might not be appropriate. The volunteer must be willing to point the way by teaching.
Being a good teacher is not as natural of a skill as that of loving. With teaching, it might be the trained professionals, the prison workers, who have the greater effect. Still, there is a contribution to be made by the volunteer. Even if the volunteer is only someone who comes in once a week and talks to the prisoner through a plated-glass window, that volunteer will be able to share his or her values as they discuss things.
That sharing of values can lead to change.
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