Interviews conducted at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, revealed that some residents developed anti-social behavior as result of their imprisonment.
The interviews revealed that residents are aware of the adverse effects of imprisonment, making them increasingly self-conscious of their ability to socialize. Incarcerated individuals are removed from the normalcy of everyday life. Resident Alan Buckley feels that he lost the opportunity to develop healthy social skills which include traveling, shopping in a store, or developing a career.
“I’ve developed a lot of anxiety with being in public spaces, especially being around people who aren’t incarcerated,” said Buckley. “In prison, we’re all in the same boat, [but] when someone from the outside comes in, it throws me off.”
A prison environment can be a problematic place to foster healthy social skills, especially at medium and maximum security facilities. These prisons are often plagued with violent behavior. Such environments make it less likely for incarcerated individuals to join self-help programs.
Resident Jambri Johnson Sr. said his experiences in such a prison environment. Johnson has been incarcerated for 17 years most of those in high security prisons.
”I ended up finding comfort in being reclusive and with the misery of being in prison,” Johnson Sr. said. “It helped me to survive, but it hurt, because it made me socially awkward.”
Some residents, like Delshawn Beauchamp, are housed far away from their family and unable to visit. This can worsen anti-social tendencies.
Beauchamp’s family lives in Compton, California– 500 miles south of San Quentin. He said that it is financially difficult for his loved ones to visit because the distance is so far,
Armando Carlos, an SQRC resident, credited the nine years of isolation he spent in the Segregated Housing Unit with his difficulty in connecting with others.
“I used to watch sad movies just to see if I could still cry and feel emotion,” Carlos said. “It felt good knowing that I still could after becoming so numb to genuine connections.”
The environment at San Quentin has offered some residents their first opportunity in years to strengthen their social skills.
“My first experience at San Quentin was going to a concert where Dee Dee Simon [ A Registered Nurse at SQRC] performed,” Johnson Sr. said. “It was great! The music was good, and for that time, I felt free.”
Some residents have ideas on how to mitigate anti-social behaviors with administrative aid.
“We need more access to existing programs, because the long waiting lists can leave a lot of people out of classes,” Buckley said. “That would really help us build confidence.”
Buckley added that he believed it would help to provide specific classes on communication and social skills to teach San Quentin residents how to interact with the world.
The programming at San Quentin has offered a glimpse of improvements where individuals can make their lives better when provided the necessary tools.
“I’m being more vulnerable and proactive with involving myself in programs,” Johnson Sr. said. “Not just because I have to go to the parole board, but also because I just want to be regular, and able to relate to and interact with regular people.”
