Behind the Bars

In Oregon, prison inmates are referred to as Adults in Custody (AICs). All AICs are required to have jobs inside the prison, or go to school, unless they are ill or infirm.

Dean’s job was in the prison’s laundry. One day his co-worker, Nathan, seemed a little down. Dean tried to lift Nathan’s spirits by cracking jokes but it didn’t work. In fact, Dean sensed that his attempt at humor seemed to push Nathan further into depression.

Dean was taking The Art of Communication and remembered the skill of Repeating Back. So instead of trying to cheer Nathan up, Dean started repeating back what Nathan was telling him. Nathan said that depression had been a problem for him for many years, and that he could see how his depression was affecting his day, his work, and his interactions. Dean said, “So you’re seeing how your depression is affecting your day, your work, and your interactions.”

Nathan kept talking, sharing more and more as Dean continued to repeat back his words. Nathan started to relax, and Dean switched from repeating back to silent listening.

After a while, Nathan said that someone joking around could cause him to go further into depression. Dean didn’t skip a beat. He said, “So when someone is joking around with you, it makes your depression worse.”

Nathan didn’t skip a beat either. He said, “I see that when I start seeing these triggers, I need to reach out to people.” Dean could visibly see Nathan’s spirits lifting. He knew that he was the one Nathan was reaching out to at that moment, and that made his spirits lift too. The conversation wound down, and both of them went back to work feeling good.