A Call to Action & Full Disclosure
Bad Boy Mike’s 2nd Chance Project – Do The Work
There’s not a therapeutic arena for mental health or behavioral issues inside of prison walls. There’s no fix for the mindset that influenced prisoner’s crimes. No repair shop to correct the decisions that landed them in prison. No platform to openly discuss the negative thoughts & feelings born from poor decisions, mental health conditions or behavioral issues. Many different factors prevent a therapeutic approach or effective implementation of rehabilitation programs inside of a prison. The following are only two of those factors.
One factor is the people tasked in the rehabilitation part of corrections have a difficult time deciding which prisoners truly want help. Maybe some prisoners are just bored or looking for entertainment. Waste resources for a conversation with someone outside their cell block. Something to break up the monotony of day-to-day prison life.
Second factor is, it takes one bad apple to spoil it for everyone else. I’ll explain. Some workers inside the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections are female. Inside a prison for men, some prisoners will take advantage of interacting with them (I’m being polite putting it this way) by exposing that female to unwanted sexual advances. Vice versa inside a prison for women.
There’s always corrections staff close by and should be. A safe environment for the staff is a priority over any therapeutic or rehabilitation opportunities. I support that priority. No one should be subjected to any form of abuse in order to help people. It’s not only female workers, all staff members are subjected to unacceptable behaviors by prisoners daily.
If a staff member has chosen to work in the rehabilitation aspect of prison, over time those unacceptable behaviors will decrease the desire to improve prisoner’s lives. The longer they work in a prison, the more they take on a “corrections” mindset. I don’t blame them. If you knew what they experienced trying to give people tools to better themselves, you wouldn’t either. This isn’t always the case. The majority of the staff truly do care and I salute their efforts. It’s just hard to provide effective rehabilitation inside the reality of prison operations.
Most of the help offered is informational packets, programs, or a sit & listen approach. The staff that run those do a great job and they’re very helpful. Prisoners are encouraged to open up and share. My point is prisoners and corrections staff don’t open up and share the nature of their life issues together. Inside these walls it’s very difficult to separate the rehabilitation aspect from the corrections reality of prison. Difficult for both prisoners and staff alike.
I use the resources the prison does have to educate myself about mental health conditions. This particular prison does have a mental health staff. I definitely give them credit for the work they do. The focus is mostly on education and crisis intervention. My personal opinion is–they’re lucky to achieve that purpose in this environment.
All prisons across America have plans in place to address rehabilitation and mental health issues inside prison walls. Those programs already receive funding. Those plans might look good on paper, but when it comes to execution, they get shredded. Those plans involve two groups, the prison staff and prisoners. They are bred to oppose one another. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a start and better than doing nothing.
If a prisoner wants to change or improve their mental health, it must be a self-rehabilitation project. They must engage like-minded prisoners or turn to their family members for support. They might want to prove themselves to their families by participation. Do work that is visible to their loved ones. What if there is no outside support for a prisoner?
Bad Boy Mike’s 2nd Chance Project – Do The Work is that self-rehabilitation effort. The Bad Boy Mike’s platform and its self-help program is a tool—plain & simple. A chance to Do The Work. A second chances platform that can be embraced and started before the gates open.
This self-rehabilitation effort is the first to counter all prisoner participation and content with responses. This strategy is the first of its kind. There is a direct mission to accomplish and a formatted approach to get there. Prisoners will benefit much more than just getting some money on their books for commissary—like other platforms. This project is about accountability. It’s done in public, not hiding behind a personal agenda.
This is a real-time, real life, self-rehabilitation project. It’s visible to the entire world. Prisoners will Do The Work to earn their 2nd chance in life and with their loved ones. After completing the 7-challenge format, prisoners will continue to Do The Work in the ongoing application of the M I K E system. The benefits to prisoners and society alike are truly endless. Prisoner’s participation will dramatically affect their lives. They will be turning a negative into a positive. Society will benefit from their hard work as well.
Doing nothing or not allowing prisoners to self-rehabilitate only advocates the exact behaviors that landed them in prison in the first place. Prisoners’ participation will reduce the chances of those crimes being repeated.
– Bad Boy Mike –
June 6th, 2022
