Wednesday, 20 September 2006
I went to prison today
At the invitation of Prison Fellowship NZ, I went to the Faith Based Unit at Rimutaka Prison today. It was far from easy, I would have been completely overwhelmed if I didn't have Mark from PFNZ with me. I can't imagine how someone would know what to do without help.
I meet a couple of the inmates and the staff that were around. I feel a lot better about the visit now I've had some time to reflect and I think I might be of some help as a mentor to the right person there. I expect the first few visits to be hard, but I can normally slot in to institutions successfully.
I meet a couple of the inmates and the staff that were around. I feel a lot better about the visit now I've had some time to reflect and I think I might be of some help as a mentor to the right person there. I expect the first few visits to be hard, but I can normally slot in to institutions successfully.
# posted by Gareth Bezett @ 5:23 PM 
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What was hard about it? I mean, I can think of lots of reasons why it would be hard, but am keen to hear what parts you found challenging.
I've toyed with the idea of prison fellowship, but just don't think I have the guts.
I've toyed with the idea of prison fellowship, but just don't think I have the guts.
I think the thing that was the hardest was the logistics of getting from the car to being inside the faith based unit. I guess each prison will have its own challenges, but it was a serious hike to get there with no signage and very few people around in a very quiet outdoor setting. So when I was inside the unit I felt a long way from the outside world. There were three different sets of double security doors to get through (where you are stuck in between two doors or gates when the first one locks before the other opens).
The setting was completely unlike what TV prepared me for. The huge amount of space was other-wordly. We walked past other units that 60-odd people inside them and it was almost silent. Inside the unit itself, it was like my old primary school, a paved and grassed area surroundede by low-rise buildings.
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The setting was completely unlike what TV prepared me for. The huge amount of space was other-wordly. We walked past other units that 60-odd people inside them and it was almost silent. Inside the unit itself, it was like my old primary school, a paved and grassed area surroundede by low-rise buildings.
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