Washington Site Goes “Right Living” Prison-Wide
Right Living, which requires inmates to obey rules of polite behavior, has been used nationally in drug dependency programs for offenders who are preparing to re-enter society. The all-male Airway Heights facility west of Spokane will be the first in the country to implement the model prisonwide, according to the Washington Department of Corrections.
According to the Right Living handbook, inmates learn to interact as if they were participating positively within a community structure. The program stresses a work ethic, learning new skills, honesty, accountability, manners, civility and respect. “The primary goal of the community is to provide members with a sense of belonging, acceptance, and skills for living without self-destructive behavior patterns,” the handbook says. Inmates who have participated in similar programs “are 5 percent less likely to re-offend,” said Rob Herzog, Airway Heights’ associate superintendent of programs … Authorities say the program works because participants learn that they tend to get the respect they give …
“It’s a growing process,” said Joshua Brockman, 27, who is on the business team with Washington. Inmates say the staff is listening to their concerns and ideas, as well as being patient. Airway Heights staff say prisoners already are showing more respect toward them and more willingness to take responsibility for their surroundings. Recently, for example, five inmates took it upon themselves to clean up a prison courtyard, officials said. Inmates who have never been formal are saying, “yes sir” or “yes ma’am” and opening doors for each other …
Said Klemme, the prison spokeswoman: “All offenders will benefit from an environment that instills self-esteem, pro-social values and a generally safer environment.” She says prison staff naturally benefit from a reduction in violence, but studies have also shown that staff morale improves because they feel like they’re helping inmates, not just locking them up. “That gives a lot of meaning to what we do,” she said. “It’s a win for the whole community. If we can get people to stop rummaging through their neighbor’s garage to steal tools or doing drugs around their kids, then it has made a difference.”
More on the program at the Seattle Times.