Humanizing Incarcerated Co-learners with Dialogue Education

I have the privilege of meeting almost weekly with incarcerated persons for one and a half hours as an Alpha facilitator. Alpha is a faith-based course that is approved by the local jail in my county in Northern Wisconsin. Each session, as described by the organization, is “a space for honest and open conversations about life’s biggest questions.”

Everyone is welcome and no questions are off limits. I have found the 8 Steps of Design (as taught by Global Learning Partners) to be useful for meeting this aspiration, by inviting participants to be agents for their own learning in a context where powerlessness is a common experience.

Below is an example of how I use the 8 steps to strengthen my work and ensure learning for this vulnerable population.

The People

I mostly work with up to 15 men whose circumstances are uniquely and individually complex despite their common predicament. Only a handful can commit to regular attendance for various reasons including physical and mental health states, time away from home, court appearances, releases etc. These fluctuating voluntary sessions have a truly impermanent “who.”

The Situation

There are multiple perspectives regarding the purpose of Alpha sessions. Jail authorities and guards say attendees tend to be calmer and more hopeful after attending Alpha sessions. Facilitators are inspired by a concern for the marginalized from a Christian faith perspective. Attendees self-report attending to seek God, a break in boredom, enjoying the attention and time volunteers or to catch up with inmates from different jail pods. A common theme is their desire to break from cycles of recidivism, addictions, anger and other vices, often the cause of their incarceration.

The Desired Impact

Our hope is they can embrace the possibilities of change for free and productive lives in society. We yearn to help them cast a vision for life beyond current circumstances by encountering God’s love. We also desire the humanization of inmates beyond labels they carry in their circumstances.

The Time and Place

The when and where are set by the jail authorities. Sometimes, we are able to negotiate and advocate for schedules that work better for the inmates, for example when there are fewer competing opportunities. However, usually we have little say.

The Content

Alpha provides the content – 15 topical sessions, each with a 30-minute video and handouts. Although there is a progression to the sessions, each unit stands alone. Participants can jump in at any time and continue their learning. This format is extremely beneficial for a fluctuating learner group.

The Achievement-based Objectives (ABO’s)

The objectives target the affective learning domain (heart) – how participants receive, respond and value our time together. Objectives that reflect the six core principles of adult learning – respect, relevance, inclusion, safety, engagement, immediacy are especially important for a population that is not accustomed to being seen. Over time, I have simplified recurring objectives for each session:

By the end of each session, participants will have:

• Identified at least one proposition relevant to them from the Alpha session
• Presented their point of view and acknowledged they are heard and seen
• Created an action plan as a result of their learning.

The Plan

In a context that can be unpredictable and chaotic, I have found it important to keep things simple with the 4A learning sequence for designing and facilitating learning activities

ANCHOR: We begin with five minutes of participant connections; with facilitators listening and observing. The opening prompt taps into what we know about them as well as the topic for the session. An example of one that recently generated beautiful conversation was, “Talk about a time when you were either forgiven, or you forgave somebody else. How did that feel?”

ADD: The half-hour video is the preset content for the session. I frame it with the qualifier that they do not have to agree with anything they watch and are free to ask any related questions.

APPLY: Our goal is to speak less than the participants do. It is important for them to decide what relates to them, so that they can examine, interrogate, consider it for themselves. Sometimes they are bursting with responses to the video.

Sometimes, after some silence or straying conversations, I have prompts ready if needed.

• I am curious what caught your attention as we watched the video.
• Tell me what you thought about the statement…
• Where have you encountered…

AWAY: I have found that it is important to leave more time for this than I might with other groups. I use prompts that direct them towards actions that are possible within the confines of their incarceration: “I wonder how you will respond to what we have discussed this afternoon.” This sometimes leads to commitments to themselves or towards other inmates. Sometimes it relates to families and friends beyond jail: “I will call my ex and let them know I forgive them for…”.

The Impact

This work has been deeply rewarding and impactful, for facilitators and participants alike. Below are three things I see that give me hope: 

• The majority of participants keep coming and stay the entire time.
• Respect and trust are building i.e., fewer interruptions, fewer side-conversations.
• There is an increase in personal sharing i.e., personal stories and doubts.