David Shantz, chaplain with Correctional Service Canada for 25 years, brings us behind the bars into the prison setting. Having worked with inmates throughout their incarceration, he joins me to talk about how inmates’ needs in conversation evolve from the moment they arrive in prison, to solitary confinement, through their ongoing sentence, to their eventual release. Conversation is shown to be a primary way for “the guys” to retain their human dignity and adapt to institutional challenges on the inside, while it also has the potential to create a bond of trust with the larger society. We explore how David extended this circle of conversation to the outside community through Restorative Justice programs: the Face-to-Face program, which facilitates conversations between convicts of a certain crime with victims of the same type of crime; and the Building Bridges program, which fosters an environment of community between prison inmates and volunteers, in which I was fortunate to have participated. Lastly, David recounts how after his retirement he continues to work with ex-inmates in halfway houses.
David Shantz recommends... for more information on volunteering in conversation programs with inmate populations: The Community Chaplain at 514-978-8881 or for Quebec, the Quebec Regional Headquarters, 400-4 Laval Pl, Laval QC H7N 5Y3, Phone: 450-972-7768.
