Opening Doors® Through The Eyes Of A Prison Warden

by Christine Money

It is my pleasure to be able to share what Opening Doors® has meant to me and the impact that this program has had on the lives of the men incarcerated at Marion Correctional Institution (MCI) as well as the staff. During the past 9 ½ years, many people from the faith community partnered with us to provide incredible growth opportunities to offenders. As a result the MCI community has experienced a dramatic cultural change. When I met Debbie Roeger in the summer of 2000, I listened to her talk about her calling to serve those in prison and quickly invited her to join the newly formed Horizon Interfaith team as a volunteer. After consulting with the Horizon Program Coordinator, we invited Debbie to develop a conflict resolution model for this new 48-men faith dorm. In response, she designed and piloted Opening Doors. Now fast forward five years. Over these years new volunteers have been trained and Opening Doors has been conducted countless times. I made it a habit to attend as many program graduations as I could and I always asked the men to share their thoughts about the program. They have shared many poignant responses. Some of the most touching testimonies came from men who had served between 10-20 years in prison and confessed they had never ever shared anything on a personal level with a fellow inmate. Many expressed relief to finally share their heavy burdens with others who did not judge them. There were times that tears were shed and times of great joy and celebration. I remember hearing from a man at the camp after he attended Opening Doors. In his words, going through the program was like being on a three day cruise! For those days he did not feel like a prisoner. This might make some people nervous; but I believe that in addition to incarceration, our responsibility is to heal, restore and prepare for successful return to the community. Opening Doors does just that as it touches lives on a deep level. One of my fondest memories of Opening Doors is when I received an invitation from men housed in Protective Control to bring some of my key staff to a presentation. Those men had completed Opening Doors and decided to develop a detailed proposal to add a wide variety of rehabilitation programs to their small, specialized prison community. Several men participated in a presentation which was well thought out and one of the most professional presentations I have ever witnessed in my career. These men applied the principles they learned in Opening Doors and took positive control of their environment. In the past, this unit was the most dysfunctional housing unit in the institution. Due to the infusion of programs, including Opening Doors, the transformation was miraculous! I attribute some of the success of Opening Doors to the fact that the facilitator teams are both outside volunteers and offenders. Together they become a powerful team. The volunteers bring their rich diverse backgrounds and unconditional caring and the inmate facilitators contribute their experiences from incarceration. This combination has modeled how to work together to provide programs. I know that these experiences bless the volunteers as well as the offenders. MCI also piloted a version of Opening Doors for staff. I was a participant in the first 3-day program. My experience was incredible! Our group connected in a way that was never expected. Those close relationships still exist today. In closing, I have witnessed Opening Doors touch incarcerated men and volunteers in very deep ways. I also have personally been blessed by Opening Doors and I am excited to have watched it expand into other prisons in Ohio. After just a few days in my new role at the Ohio Department of Youth Services, I can already see the need for Opening Doors to help heal some of our most fragile youth. I am sure 2006 will be an exciting year for Opening Doors and I am happy that I am going to be part of that adventure. ♥

Editor's Note: Chris' career with the Ohio Dept. of Rehab and Corrections spans 25 years with 3 assignments as prison warden -- the last 9 years as warden at MCI where her leadership transformed the prison culture by creating a highly successful partnership with the faith community. With the new year, she begins a new challenge as Special Assist. to the Director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services where she will be responsible for reentry services to incarcerated youth and their families. I believe we're about ready to witness another miraculous cultural shift take place!