Finally it was time to make our presentation. We were escorted to the room where we would meet with a group of inmates. Upon entering the room we found that the men, all dressed in blue, had already been assembled. The room was completely silent as we entered and everyone looked up at us when we came through the door. There were about 17 men seated in the room. We said hello as we came in and immediately they smiled and returned the greeting, deflating some of the nervousness in the room.
What follows is a brief synopsis of my comments that day, not only in this facility, but in 4 different facilities during the month of November.
The title of my presentation was “The Prison Within,” with the subtitle being ‘refusing to forgive.’ I usually start my comments with a brief introduction of myself as I have learned that it’s especially interesting (even a novelty) for these men to have someone from another country come to speak. I tell them something of my homeland and also my personal life which is also very unusual for them because public speakers here, in any forum, are usually quite formal in their approach.