The Search for Meaning: Creative Responses to Depression
October 2007
Banner photo: Davis McCardle/Getty Images
Prison Workers: Freedom on the Inside
Raffaello Riggio from Italy began working as a prison educator in 1990. In his first position he replaced someone who had been killed by the mafia. He currently works in a prison for short-term prisoners in Siena and one for those serving life sentences in San Gimignano.
Valdomiro Soriano has worked as a prison guard in São Paulo State, Brazil, for the past 17 years. He currently works both in a minimum-security women's prison and at a men's prison.
What is a typical workday for you?
Valdomiro: I currently work the night shift. My workday begins at 7pm, when I come into the gallery, the prison corridor with cells on both sides. Then I accompany the nurses on their rounds. 10pm is curfew time, when all the inmates must be silent, then we count the prisoners and check they are in the right cells, as sometimes prisoners try to get into a different section of the prison to fight with another prisoner. After that, we do various administrative tasks until the end of the shift.
Raffaello: My job as a prison education officer is concerned with the rehabilitation and observation of the prisoners. What I mean by rehabilitation is everything that can be offered in prison with regard to sports, recreational and cultural activities and professional training. Observation consists of getting to know each prisoner, evaluating their progress and developing their capacity. The prison director, psychologists, social workers and representatives of the prison guards are all involved in observation. The education officer writes up the observation group's reports to send to the judge who will decide if they should get some benefit or reduced sentence. A typical day is taken up mainly with discussions with the prisoners, one-on-one and in groups, and in the writing of reports.
What made you choose your profession?
Raffaello: I had the chance to participate in the national selection process for prison educators just after I had begun to practice Buddhism. I felt it was a job that matched my previous choices in life well: ever since I was young I had done voluntary community work with drug addicts and people with disabilities.
Valdomiro: I have always worked as a public employee, for the sanitation authority and the state railroads, but I couldn't survive on the salary. I worked part-time as a security guard and was assaulted quite often. I decided to join the police in order to contribute to creating justice in society. I was not able to join the police, but I didn't give up, and applied to become a prison guard.
What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your work?
Raffaello: A critical aspect in the rapport with a prisoner is the lack of authenticity in the relationship. This can happen either because of the rigidity of the roles, or because of the context. When "the masks fall" and a relationship based on trust and respect is established, the job becomes very rewarding.
Valdomiro: There are a lot of guards (not me) who receive money from prisoners to bring drugs and weapons, among other things, into the prison. The prisoners also bribe guards to deliver things to their family. Some are fooled by the easy money. Because I don't get into this kind of relationship, I always have to be careful.
My great satisfaction is that I like what I do. I learn from the prisoners, and from the people around me. There are those who really trust you, and when they leave prison they say that they will never forget me. This kind of acknowledgment is the greatest satisfaction.
What sort of changes would you like to see in the way society treats people in the prison system?
Raffaello: The lack of personal autonomy and the diminished sense of responsibility that people in prisons experience can lead to a kind of infantilism. Moreover, the lack of close relationships makes people's hearts close and prevents them from being able to express their emotions. Greater possibilities in terms of work and autonomy inside the prison could help. Some kind of victim-offender mediation--almost nonexistent in Italy--could help prisoners reflect more on their crimes.
How does your Buddhist practice influence your work?
Raffaello: My Buddhist practice helps me to face my days that are always full of challenging circumstances; one needs a lot of energy not to become entangled in complex dynamics. I like to think that my daily Buddhist practice allows me to have a deeper view of human relations and events. To do this job one needs to believe that there is "something good" in every person. Buddhism has made me understand that every person has an enlightened aspect that can be drawn out in order for them to become happy. I try to make sure that a prisoner never leaves an interview without some hope for the future.
Valdomiro: I use whatever opportunities arise to tell people about this philosophy. Once I saw a cell with some SGI magazines. I was curious and discovered that the person did not practice himself, but that his mother did. I talked a lot with him and helped him to practice. It was very emotional when he was released.
Recently my supervisor told me that I am the only guard who brings peace to the prisoners, and that my attitude is constantly praised by the directors. When there are riots and serious problems between the prisoners, I have the great good luck that generally this happens when I am not at work.
When we practice Buddhism it is not that we distance ourselves from negative people or situations, but the environment changes so that somehow those things become distant from you.
When I am on my shift and I notice some strange goings-on between prisoners, I use dialogue and through this everything finishes in a good way. Buddhism and my experience in the SGI have changed my way of thinking and my attitude, and I am never afraid, either outside or inside the prison.
What do you consider a success in your work?
Raffaello: I think success begins when a prisoner learns that he can become the protagonist of his own life, and is therefore able to make choices. If they can choose a hardworking life and respect for others, and they develop the ability to reintegrate themselves socially, that, I think, is a great achievement.
I recently participated in a Buddhist course in which a former prisoner, whom I have known for some years, shared his experience. He had been an international drug trafficker and cocaine addict, held in a high security unit with a heavy sentence. Through his Buddhist practice, he succeeded in transforming his life: he stopped using drugs, began to earn the confidence of his family and other people and enrolled to study psychology. He received a remarkable reduction in his sentence that has allowed him to be free today. Thanks to this experience he is trying to encourage people with problems with drugs and the law.
Valdomiro: When I did not practice, it was difficult for me to keep a job. Today I understand that success comes from great effort and having a vision for the future. Already I feel a sense of success, as out of 45 people who went through the same training with me to work in prisons, only 15, I believe, remain in the system. I feel that it is a success that I live a peaceful life. I never become embroiled in conflicts and I feel great satisfaction.
