The Things I Learned in Prison

And I’m not kidding!

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Let me set the stage…

I’ll be brief. Just a few minutes. Listen and consider the evidence. It is all I ask.

I was in prison, for 2 years. You say, “James I have been reading your stuff for a long time and never knew you were a criminal.” Really? Am I? Are you? Are you really sure of your answer? Yep! Two years. Department of Corrections. No parole.

Well, before you erase your name from my Followers’ list, let me explain. I was in prison working in — get ready for it — an inmate literacy program! Faked you out? Seems like lots of stuff is fake right now. AI generated fake sermon’s written by fake ministers. AI generated fake actors and singers. Fake news. Indeed, lots of phoniness out there. Maybe though, we are being fooled about more serious things.

When I was working at the prison, several inmates asked me for letters of recommendation for their parole board interview. Some, I gladly obliged, believing that they understood the reason they were locked up. Others. Let’s just leave it at not so much.

A criminal personality has been described in a book often recommended by corrections supervisors for new employees. It was recommended to me. The book, The Games Criminals Play has become a bit of a classic. One short summary goes like this:

A bestseller for over two decades, this fascinating resource exposes how criminals try to control the behavior of correctional personnel — how to recognize, prevent, and stop manipulation. Learn how inmates observe and select victims. Also, see how they gain their confidence and sympathy and make demands.

Or perhaps a slightly more substantive review would prove more helpful:

Correctional staff have known for years that many of their inmates play manipulative games. Inmates study staff behavior, schedules and patterns very carefully. At times, inmates enjoy playing games that can include trying to violate rules and bringing their street behavior into facilities. Manipulating staff can even become a form of entertainment for offenders, in which offenders feed off one another in an attempt to gain power and control within the facility. How staff respond to these games is extremely important, but unfortunately, it is often inexperienced staff who inmates target with their games.

The biggest mind game that inmates played with me was the victim game. Although some were most certainly guilty beyond any reasonable doubt, they attempted to play on your sympathies by getting you to see that they were really victims. They were victims of a justice system gone awry, or they were victims of those who were their accusers. One inmate even told me that the guy he stabbed had it coming. He was his landlord and he had acted in a hostile way against the inmate by raising the rent without notice. If it was not so sad, it would be as funny as Judge Judy, wouldn’t it?

Justice? Different things for different people.

But the victim deal is serious business, with serious consequences. More than a game. What do victims want? It depends on the victim. Most say they want justice. Fair enough. But justice means many different things to different people.

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission is some type of official, usually governmental commission charged with uncovering and dealing with wrongdoings or abuses committed by governments, organizations or individuals. Usually, the wrongdoings are related to human rights abuses. The objective is truth, memory, justice (after a certain fashion) and sometimes reparations.

The Commissions focus on historical happenings, not current complaints or accusations. The real focus is holding governments accountable for past deeds of terrorism. They operate from the basis that people have a right to know the truth — even if offenders claim they acted with impunity. Yet commissions have very limited power to impose criminal penalties. They may and often do allow victims to confront those who perpetrated acts of injustice. It is believed that truth will lead to the healing of society and forgiveness. The best-known example of this practice (not the only) is South Africa after generations of apartheid.

The Wisest One said, “You will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” I have heard it said that it will set you free but not before it really pisses you off.

That is one view of what victims want, truth, understanding, accountability. But it is not the only view. Another man, maybe not so wise told his followers, “I am your retribution.”

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What is retribution anyway?

*Retribution means a very strict and deserved punishment for a bad act. It is a form of payback or revenge.*

*[T]he act of punishing or taking vengeance for wrongdoing, sin, or injury.*

*A form of punishment given to an offender with the aim to repay or seek revenge for the wrongdoing they committed.*

*Retribution is a concept that has been used in historical legal systems to justify punishment for criminal actions. It involves the idea that a wrongdoer should receive a punishment that is equivalent to the harm they have caused.*

Retribution requires 2 things. A punisher, and a victim. We know who the punisher is (see above). Who are the victims?

“We’re all victims. Everybody here. All these thousands of people here tonight. They’re all victims. Every one of you.” — Donald Trump (addressing a campaign rally)

“Looking at the closed plants… these Trump backers just nod in agreement. They too see themselves as victims.” — The Interpreter (Lowy Institute analysis)

“You, the middle class and working people, have been the victims of so much. You never seem to catch a break and always seem to pay the steepest price.” — Political rhetoric analysis published by the *Washington Post*

“For Donald Trump, it (a certain mindset) stands for victimhood, a status that conservatives disdain in every other context but that the former president has used to his advantage.” — Politico Magazine

“I am a victim,” he said in his speech announcing his presidential run. “I will tell you I’m a victim.” — Politico

Victims everywhere…

Victimization, in this view, requires retribution. And what kind of retribution is required? We have all heard it on the evening news. Imprisonment of MAGA enemies. Sometimes the “victims” (of what, opposition to their agenda?) demand even more. How crazy will it get? Death to opponents of MAGA!

*Reuters documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership — from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.*

The current regime is a bastion of violence or desired violence against the enemies of the regime. It is, unfortunately, a sign of the violent culture we have become. Victims everywhere. From ICE agents to PTA presidents. Victims. And it certainly appears that victimization leads to retribution.

Of course, there are real victims, and that is another story for another day. But it is well documented that highly narcissistic individuals and those who are emotionally unstable are often likely to develop a sort of “victim identity.” It is a mindset referred to as the “Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood.” (source)

“[An] ongoing feeling that the self is a victim, which is generalized across many kinds of relationships. As a result, victimization becomes a central part of the individual’s identity.” — The Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood: The Personality Construct and its Consequences (Personality and Individual Differences, 2020)

It is hard to escape the reality that there are a whole bunch of people out there who see themselves as victims, desiring at least a bit of retribution. It all gets back to my “stint in prison.” Victims. They say what happened to them was unfair. They shouldn’t be locked up.

But the strange part of the story? The inmates I knew largely supported the idea of retribution — for the other guy.

Eknath Easwaran said, “You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.”

Thank you for reading my article.