ANTHONY CHAN: The National
Center for Victims of Crime
would like to thank the John
D and Catherine T MacArthur
Foundation for their support
in creating this video series.
During this video
series, you'll be
hearing the stories
of three individuals
with a lived history
of victimization
and incarceration.
Warning, the following video
contains interviews outlining
graphic accounts of sexual
abuse, drug use, self harm,
and violence.
In the previous videos,
we made the connection
between victimization, trauma,
shame, coping mechanisms,
and the behaviors that
can lead to incarceration.
In this video, we want to
focus more on what comes next.
However, before we do,
it's worthwhile to return
to that blurry line between
victim and offender.
To do that, let's
start with everyone
who's not incarcerated.
The lifetime prevalence
rates of PTSD,
that is, individuals who, at
some point in his or her lives,
have been diagnosed with
PTSD is approximately 6.8%.
However, that number
can be a bit misleading
since the rates of PTSD
in men have been reported
to be approximately 3.6%,
but the rates in women
are approximately 9.7%.
The gender differences
are beyond the scope
of this presentation, but
let's assume these estimates
are generally correct.
Research conducted in 2014
found that 30% of males
who were incarcerated in jails
met the criteria for PTSD,
and 60% of those same
incarcerated males
met the criteria for a
lifetime diagnosis of PTSD.
Those rates are 10
to 16 times higher
than the national average for
males who are not incarcerated.
And the same is true for women.
The rates of lifetime
diagnosis of PTSD
for women who are
incarcerated is
approximately five times
higher than it is for women
in the general population.
And the rates of attempted
suicide amongst female inmates,
who have a history of
sexual or physical abuse,
are over seven times
higher than the rates
in the general population.
So again, that line
between offender and victim
is not what a lot of
people think it is.
It's blurry.
And as we will see, Lisa
and Richard's experiences
are consistent with
these statistics.
LISA: Well, I ended
up going to prison,
and I knew that
that was the biggest
fear that I had to face, because
I had never been there before.
But when I got there, all I
saw were hundreds and hundreds
of women who were in jail either
on mental health medication,
in there for life or for long
terms, for non-violent crimes
that they had committed.
And a lot of them
were based on them
being a part of either domestic
violence or drug and alcohol
abuse.
ANTHONY CHAN: Richard
began facilitating
a group for male offenders
while he was incarcerated.
RICHARD: Out of nowhere,
this really big guy
started talking about his
experiences of sexual abuse.
And he didn't use that
language, but he was saying,
this happened to him.
And he was grabbed, and he
was touched by this guy.
And he says, I
never told anyone.
Then he said, you know--
he starts talking.
He says, and the only
time I felt normal
is when I was violent.
And when he said that, that's
when it kind of like really
hit me.
And I was like, holy
cow, I'll remember that.
ANTHONY CHAN: And
it's not just the fact
that the vast
majority of offenders
have history of
victimization and trauma,
the trauma can continue
during incarceration
through institutional violence
or, like in Richard's case,
through the actions of
correctional officers.
RICHARD: I ended up spending
the majority of my time,
at 16, in the hole
being isolated in a unit
all by myself
because of an instant
where I kind of lost it,
where I was asked to strip.
And the guard made like a sexual
joke and like touched me--
not in a sexual way, but I
just felt his body touch me,
and I lost it.
And next thing I know,
there were like 20 guards
just like jumping up on me.
And the rest of my
time was spent in--
in isolation.
ANTHONY CHAN: And
the hits keep coming.
Richard was supposed to
get a visit from a girl.
His cellmate got a
visit, but he did not.
And from his cell, he
could see it all happening.
RICHARD: We were looking out
there, looking out onto the--
out the window to
the visiting room
and seeing that she didn't
show up, and him being called.
And it was just like it.
And I was just like, this is it.
Why do I even need to do this?
And went back to my
cell, and I opened up
a razor, shaving razor,
and slit both of my wrists.
And I remember saying
to myself, like, I
don't want to live anymore.
Like, if this is going to
be my life, the abuse that I
experienced early on--
because, you know,
sexual abuse was
one of the experiences
of abuse, but like,
there was constant
violence in my home.
There was constant fighting,
lots of substance abuse.
And then the streets was just
like violence and aggression.
And then [INAUDIBLE] violence
and aggression, then--
and I felt like I was
just trying to survive,
and no one understood--
you know, understood that.
They just saw me as something
being wrong with me.
And then I just didn't want to--
I just didn't want
to do it anymore.
ANTHONY CHAN: David
and his brother,
at the request of their
mother, write their mother
a letter outlining the physical,
sexual, and emotional abuse
they endured.
They get a reply, just
not what they expected.
DAVID: It's a letter
saying that our mom had
died of a massive heart
attack on July 15.
And so here I am just
looking at this, saying,
she had written
me a whole letter,
but she was in the middle
of my brother's letter
when she passed away.
She had the massive
heart attack.
So this was very hard,
you know, for us to take,
because we were
asking ourselves,
did us writing this
letter cause our mom
to have this heart attack?
Was it too much for her to take?
ANTHONY CHAN: I had
a burning question
for all three interviewees.
Lisa, David, and Richard
are all doing well
and have experienced
some level of success.
Since that's the case,
isn't that evidence
that the criminal
justice system,
and the services provided
within the system, work?
DAVID: Since 1970,
our prisons have not
been about rehabilitation.
Our prison system have
been about retribution,
incapacitation, and deterrence.
LISA: I remember reaching out on
so many levels, like, help me,
I need help, and never
having anybody there.
And that was not
an easy journey.
It didn't have to
be easy, but it
didn't have to be so
ridiculously complicated.
That's not a success story.
That's not something
that a human being that
has suffered from the
beginning and became a product
of her environment,
of an environment that
offered what I took to me
just because I'm still here.
Look at all of the pain
that goes along with it
and all of the trauma
that's been passed down
to my children.
That's not a success story.
RICHARD: It's not
that the system work.
It's that it's a
testament of human will,
like exercise its ability to do
good and like being nurturing,
and caring, and
compassionate, even
under the most
like de-humanizing,
[INAUDIBLE] circumstances.
ANTHONY CHAN: Lisa,
David, and Richard all
reported getting help.
It may have been religious
belief, therapists,
or the support and assistance of
other inmates, but why do they
all still feel that
the system failed them?
Any correctional
institution has to deal
with a host of inmate
issues and needs,
including everything
you see here,
with the approximate
percentages of inmates
who experienced these issues.
However, as we know, the
largest groups of inmates
are those with histories of
victimization and trauma.
Nearly every
correctional facility
has policies and
procedures put in place
for all of the issues
that are highlighted.
However, since individuals
with a history of trauma
represent the
largest group here,
with the notable
exception of inmates
who struggle with addiction,
trauma-informed services
need to be part of the continuum
of care for any facility.
If not, one of the single
largest groups of individuals
is getting missed.
Let's say the circle represents
all the available resources
dedicated to addressing issues
in a correctional facility.
We know that around 85% of
incarcerated individuals
have issues with addiction,
and addressing those needs
would take up most of
the available resources.
However, we know that
not all the individuals
with issues stemming
from addiction
are being treated
for those issues.
We also know that
there are other issues,
as we've discussed,
that, at times, overlap,
like medical concerns,
male and female inmates
with severe mental
illnesses, dental concerns,
suicidal ideation, vision,
hearing, and pregnancy, just
to name a few.
And these are all valid issues
that need to be addressed,
but that doesn't
leave a lot of room
for people who need
services related
to victimization and trauma.
What if we flip the script?
What if facilities
rethink how they
address trauma and
consider services
related to victimization and
trauma when planning budgets?
We know that a significant
portion of addiction
is driven by
victimization and trauma,
so our efforts there
kind of pull double duty.
A lot of the resources
dedicated to suicidal behavior,
like in Richard's case,
would also be addressed,
and there would still be
enough resources left over
for the medical,
dental, hearing,
vision, and
pregnancy-related concerns
that institutions must address.
But these policies can be a
difficult sell, especially
in "tough on crime"
election platforms.
Elected officials
should be urged
to consider the role of
victimization and trauma
when addressing the
needs of inmates
as a potential and viable
path to decreasing recidivism.
So where does that leave us?
We have a child who was
victimized at an early age--
RICHARD: Like, when
I was growing up,
I remember just crying
and saying like,
I just want to be normal,
just want to be normal.
ANTHONY CHAN: -- who does
not get the emotional support
required to deal with the
victimization and instead is
ignored or mocked--
RICHARD: Like, I feel like
I'm going back to that child
before all of that
stuff happened to me.
I remember actually grieving,
like really grieving,
which I had never had
the chance to do--
grieving the loss of
my innocence, loss
of my childhood,
because of the trauma.
And I remember crying for days.
ANTHONY CHAN: -- who
experienced a shame as a result
and believes that there's
something wrong with them,
which can be hard to understand
if you've been raised
in a supportive environment.
DAVID: I can tell you
something, but it's not
going to register
because you don't
have that lived experience
to put it next to.
So somebody who has never
experienced that, who has never
experienced fear
in that way, can't
comprehend what
someone is experiencing
while they're being abused.
ANTHONY CHAN: We have a child
who, in the absence of adults
teaching them how to cope, finds
their own coping mechanisms
and means of escape.
RICHARD: I remember
how I was constantly
trying to prove myself.
And it got to a
point that the times
that I felt the most free of--
of the burden of trying to prove
myself, or of feeling like,
you know, I was less of a
man was when I was violent,
when I was aggressive.
ANTHONY CHAN: Then the
chosen coping mechanism
causes social and
educational problems,
reinforcing the idea that the
child themself is the problem--
LISA: Like, you really
want something better,
but you don't know what that
looks like or what that is.
ANTHONY CHAN: -- which drives
the individual to further
embrace the problematic
coping mechanisms.
RICHARD: And as I really
reflected deeply on it,
it was like, these were things
that, no matter how [INAUDIBLE]
deviant, or maladaptive,
or abnormal they look,
they were behaviors that made
me feel good about myself.
ANTHONY CHAN: And
this all piles up.
And without the emotional
support, education,
and social network,
in addition to
coping mechanisms that
involve drugs and alcohol,
the individual finds themselves
engaging in behaviors
that often lead to arrest.
RICHARD: And I remember
feeling totally humiliated.
And this happened
like Christmas.
I remember [INAUDIBLE] with like
a gown on, but no underclothes.
It's like a paper gown.
ANTHONY CHAN: And, like Lisa's
mother with her addiction
and abuse, like David's father
with his PTSD and mother
with addiction, and
like Richard's mother
and her addiction, this
cycle, if left unbroken,
has a clear generational impact.
LISA: And every now and
then, those conversations
are coming up and comments are
made to remind me of who I was
and how I do not have the right
to talk about this or that.
And then every now and then,
a conversation will come up
where they say, I'm
really proud of you, Mom,
you've done such an
amazing job, there's
some really amazing things
happening in your life,
and so on.
But when I look at my babies,
and my children, I see babies.
I see a 10-year-old, an
8-year-old, a 7-year-old.
I see that child still
broken because of my behavior
and because of what I did.
And that reminds me,
every time, of who I was,
and how I lived my life, and
how I'm still not far from that.
Then along that journey,
I still didn't even
know how to be stable
because of the fears
that I suffered from
when I was a kid.
In sobriety, I must've moved
about every six months out
of beautiful, well-established
homes, where I had unpacked.
And they seemed to
get bigger over time.
And when I went to court
to fight for my kids,
because I knew how to look
normal and talk normal,
I was able to get my kids back.
But they still had a mom who
was afraid of what might happen
for one moment to the next.
So I wouldn't exactly call
my life a total success.
It's just that I'm constantly
fighting to overcome my fears.
ANTHONY CHAN: And that
brings us to the end, armed
with a new understanding
and a clearer
picture of the complexities
of the world we live in.
However, I sincerely
hope this end
is a beginning, the beginning
of a focus on victimization
and trauma, and how it
affects the lives of children
and adults.
I want to sincerely thank,
Lisa, David, and Richard
for their honesty,
vulnerability, and willingness
to share their story.
And for the viewers, I want
to thank you for watching.
Now, it's time to go change
something for the better,
so where are you going to start?
