Sam Yip
Chaplain at Compulsory Drug Treatment Correctional Centre (CDTCC)
There was a loud rattle of keys and suddenly the gate to the prison yard was opened. I saw an inmate standing there holding a clear bag, toiletries, linen, and a small plastic box. He was getting ready to be escorted by two correctional officers to his new home – cell G22*. Later that afternoon, I approached him in the prison yard. With my hand reaching out for a handshake I said “Hi, my name’s Sam, I’m the chaplain here, what’s your name?”
This inmate cautiously shook my hand and said “Freeman*” In most prisons, the staff call inmates by their last names and inmates call staff by authoritarian titles like ‘chief, miss, ma’am, sir, officer’. First names are totally out of bounds. There seems to be something uncomfortable in calling someone by their first name in a place like a prison. It’s much like overstepping a boundary.
However, here at the Compulsory Drug Treatment Correctional Centre (CDTCC Parklea), things are done differently. There has been a strong push for change. Inmates are referred to by their first names and staff also welcome the use of their first names too. Something unheard of in most of the other prisons in the state.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
There’s something humanising and humbling when people use their personal first names in a prison. Inmate Freeman has been at this prison for quite a while now and after spending a lot of time with him, it’s no longer Freeman, but Andy*.
Prison is a very stressful place and there are times when inmates like Andy have heated arguments with staff. And in those moments of anger, old habits come back for staff and inmates. Andy suddenly goes back to being FREEMAN, and the officers go from being Mark and Jane to CHIEF and MISS. It’s in those heated moments that a peaceful, gracious, consistent Christian presence can shine.
As a chaplain, it’s a joy and privilege to be allowed to call inmate FREEMAN by his first name – Andy. Andy is the name that his mum calls him, it’s the name that his friends and family call him. The experience of being on first name basis is special for me as a chaplain and all the inmates in the centre. But what’s even more special is the fact that every inmate in this centre can be on a first name basis with their creator through the work of Jesus Christ.
Let’s pray that God will use the work of chaplains to break social barriers and ultimately be able to share about how the greatest barrier between God and mankind has now been broken through the work of the cross.
