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| Beyond good and evil |
| By Sarah Etter, News Reporter |
| Published: 02/05/2007 |
Reconation based on the Latin conatus, meaning “born with” or “from birth”In a Kentucky State Penitentiary classroom, 15 offenders sit in a circle. Led by teacher Kellie Oliver, the inmates in the Moral Reconation Therapy program begin a heated discourse on the difference between right and wrong. “We are re-thinking morals here,” Oliver explains. “People usually know the difference between right and wrong. But why do they choose to ignore that difference when they commit a crime? Why do people choose to do the wrong thing?” During MRT classes, inmates examine their choice to commit a crime, and answer “What If” questions that test their cognitive thinking skills. Crimes committed in the heat of the moment are re-evaluated and offenders have a chance to examine the ethics behind their decisions. “Offenders don't want to think about what they've done sometimes. This program helps them to think about things they never thought about, or never wanted to think about. We get into plenty of conversations about why they ended up where they did by reexamining the thought process and morality behind their behaviors,” she adds. Reconation therapy might sound like a new concept, but it is based on an age-old philosophy. Lawrence Kohlberg, an American psychologist, spent most of his life studying morality and theorized that each person, regardless of culture or gender, makes moral decisions based on six distinct stages: According to Oliver, most inmates make moral decisions based on the first two stages, which are essentially selfish moral decisions. The sixth stage, by comparison, is very high on the morality scale. “Gandhi and Mother Teresa are on the sixth stage of moral reasoning. I don't think everyone will necessarily make it to that stage, but it's a good goal to have,” she says with a laugh. When two psychologists, Dr. Greg Little and Dr. Ken Robinson, discovered Kohlberg's work, they realized corrections could use his ideas for a moral boost. They incorporated his ideas into their own theories and called it moral reconation, which is taken from the word “connate” meaning “from birth.” Once they had the terminology in place, Little and Robinson established Correctional Counseling, Inc., which offers MRT training, textbooks and counseling. “Essentially, we hypothesized that moral development and decision-making were stunted in the lives of offenders,” explains Steve Swan, CCI's Vice President of Administrative Services. “When we established this class, we decided to test the inmates before and after their sessions. We saw a big change in their ability to make morally sound decisions.” The CCI concept caught on quickly and twenty-five states now have MRT programs established in their corrections agencies. However, most states require participating inmates to pay for their own text books. KYDOC inmates pay $25 per text. “In our culture, things that are free aren't worth that much. We encourage inmates to buy their own workbooks as a way to invest themselves in the process,” Swan says. “Twenty-five dollars is a lot of money for these inmates,” adds Oliver. “Behind bars, that is a serious amount of money. They know this program requires dedication.” Although program length depends on each state, Kentucky offers almost limitless class time. Some offenders take up to two years to comprehend the new moral process. “If we see an offender really putting his heart into this program, he can take as long as he needs. We do have a waiting list for this, but it's important to give them time to grasp this,” Oliver says. A sort of moral community seems to have developed behind the walls of KSP as a result of the program. Offenders question each other about their daily decisions and moral accountability at all hours of the day, not just during class. Inmates who have successfully completed the program and believe it is worthwhile have become MRT tutors as well. “The tutors are like the light at the end of the tunnel. It's a way to show offenders that MRT can work for them,” Oliver says. “It shows them that they will come out better on the other side, too.” Bottom Line: The difference between right and wrong might seem like common sense to most, but for inmates, therapy that focuses on the difference between good and evil might just change their lives. Related Resources: More information on MRT MRT Resources Correctional Counseling Industries |
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