Games Prisoners Play Ch2

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(A) Security Issues

I you think inmates are not creative, you better think again! Bars o soap in a sock knocked out a guard, as two juvenile youth escaped

ater church one Sunday. They bolted down Harry Hines Boulevardso ast, a bloodhound could not catch them. I could ll up the resto this book with attempted escapes and successul escapes likeon Ellis I Death Row in Huntsville several Thanksgivings ago.

Capter 2 Security Is number oe

The irst lesson one learns when becoming involved inrestorative justice ministry is that security is priority number one.

What are we dealing with as we look at security issues? Inmatesmake weapons or protection out o ear, or power over others, tohurt other inmates, out o anger and aggression, attacking sta and even sel-mutilation/suicide. This is the real world o prison,

jail and juvenile lie. One inmate on death row cut a volunteer’s

wrist to the bone because he heard rom another inmate that i heinjured a volunteer, they would retry him and delay his executiondate. Lesson learned: Do not believe all you hear rom inmates. Thebook Games Criminals Play , 1 is a must read.

As an American Correctional Association proessional membero teen years, I have attended the Correctional Congress meetingin recent years. I was amazed to see the many industries correc-tions supports: protective helmets, batons, bulletproo vests, pepperspray devices, guns, razor wire, special tamper-proo tables, toilets,bulletproo plexiglass products, and drug testing equipment, justto name a ew. The restorative justice ministry world now becomeseven more real to me at these congresses.

I Gd we trust, all ters we searc

1 Allen, Bud. Games Criminals Play. Sacramento: Rae John Publishers, 1999

By: Dave Umreville

Christian volunteers empathize too much with inmates, and can be a soft touch for a sad story or teary eye. Thus they open

themselves up to be a “mule” for an inmate.



Why are religious volunteers security risks? Inmates, Christiansor not, will use sacred things to run their con games or contrabandthrough. At the old Denton County Jail (1978), Sheri KennethGeorge allowed me to go upstairs to minister to the inmates on

Saturday mornings. Back then I was with the Gideons distributingBibles, gospel tracts and Bible study lessons. He led me to a sideoce, opened up a metal ling cabinet, and handed me a big black leather “Holy Bible.” He said, “What do you think?” “Well, Sheri, it’sa great looking Bible.” He said, “Open it up.” I did; carved in the cen-ter was the silhouette o a .38 caliber gun. Boy, whoever preachedrom this Bible sure got his listener’s attention. I guess it was theold “snub-nose sermon.” We were not through; as he put the Bible

back, he brought out a toothbrush with a razor blade melted intothe end. He said, “This one will tickle your belly button or sure.”As i that was not enough, he reached down one more time or anobject that was a metal shoe arch, a real shank, sharpened to a razoredge with duct tape on one end. He made his point. “Go upstairsand have a good day,” which I did every Saturday or several years,leading countless souls to Christ.

The lesson became very real one Saturday. Outside the two

holding tanks was an exercise bicycle. The guards would open upthe tank doors to clean cells and bring in ood. Unknown to theguards, two young inmates took the metal handles rom the bikeand sharpened them to a razor point. When the ocer came in,he was stabbed repeatedly and let in his own blood to die on thefoor. The two young men did not have an elevator key and couldnot escape. The ocer survived, and the two young men werecharged with attempted murder.

At the old Irving Jail, the Lieutenant would ask me not to bringin New Testaments and Bibles because the inmates were stoppingup the commodes with them. At the Texas Youth Commission, theGideons could not distribute their New Testaments because theirIndia paper, very ne, made perect tobacco rolling paper. It wastold that they smoked their way through the book o Proverbs. Ittakes all kinds!

One inmate thought he had ooled the system and the world,but instead received “the kiss o death.” This particular inmate had

his wie smuggle heroin in a balloon placed in her mouth. With akiss good-bye ater a visit, she would transer the balloon, lled withheroin, rom her mouth to his.



He would swallow it, go back to his “house” prison cell then regur-gitate it up, and do his date with Miss Heroin. He thought he hadooled the Warden, Major, and the world until one ateul day hepulled the same routine, but back in his cell he could not get the

balloon back up. Eventually the gastric juices ate through the latexballoon, and he died rom an overdose. The only person he ooledwas himsel. He played the ool, and lost his lie and his wie.

“You can never say a prison is escape-proo, but we’ve donealmost everything possible to conound even the most creative

prisoner, ” said John Vanyor, Associate Warden, U.S. Penitentiary,Florence, Colorado, sometimes called the “Alcatraz o the Rockies.”What does “almost everything possible” mean? According to a USAToday article, they have built a $60 million acility that gives newmeaning to high security1.

“Transerred inmates will enter a prison with the most moderncorrections technology including 168 video cameras and 1,400electronically controlled gates. But it also has a good measure o

old-ashioned steel bars, cement walls and towers staed with heav-ily armed guards.” Some o the eatures are unmovable urnitureinside the cells, no soap dish, knob, toilet seat or toilet handle. Allare potential weapons. The glass windows in the visiting room canwithstand two hours o pounding with a hammer. The cement wallsare 5,000-pound quality, and steel bars crisscross the inside everyeight inches. Showers and sinks are timed to prevent fooding. Cellsare angled so inmates won’t be able to see other cells or the RockyMountains rom their small windows. All cell doors open electroni-cally. Six guard towers are at dierent heights to thwart air attack and allow or clear views o the roo. Metal faps cover the contourso the guard keys. To get out, inmates will pass through as many asseven steel doors, each one three inches thick, and opening onlyater the other has closed. The worst inmates get no television and

just one teen–minute phone call every three months. When theworst inmates leave their cells, they will be handcued behind theirbacks, shackled in leg irons, and accompanied by three guards all

carrying steel-tipped batons.

As Secure As It Gets

1 “ USA TODAY”ednesday November 16, 1994, 6a



1“Tough Talk Staff ” (1984)

These are just some o the security measures in the Federal Prisonhere in Colorado. The “baddest o the bad” will be housed here withorty-year sentences the average. Most will die in prison. 1

(B) 30 Caracteristics f Te Crimial Mid

To avoid being conned, a Christian volunteer needs to under-stand how a criminal thinks. This is probably the most importantaspect o the criminal mode o operation. He commits crime be-cause he sees easy money and excitement. He doesn’t considerthe hurt he inficts on other people. He views love, riendship andlie in terms o what he can get out o them, rather than what he

can give to them. He is number one, and he is going to look aternumber one. “To hell with the rest o society.” Occasionally thesel-centeredness is extended to amily and “close riends,” yet thepattern is still the same. The amily members are important onlybecause they are extensions o himsel, rather than independentpeople in their own right.

Because he is so important and special, rules and regulationsdo not apply to him; he is his own law. What a great lie indeed!

Resetmet f AutrityThe criminal is in a constant stage o rebellion. He is a rebel

without a cause. He resents cops, school principals, adults in posi-tions o authority, politicians, etc. He treats most authority gures asi they were his enemies. He puts himsel above the law or designshis own law.

The resentment o authority encompasses practically all rulesand regulations that orm the basic structure o society. For ex-ample, he will requently park his car in prohibited areas, or reuseto wait in line.

need fr PwerThe criminal is obsessed with power over people, control over

people. He likes to be recognized as a powerul person. He continu-ally attempts to impress others. He also likes powerul machines,ast cars, boats, motorcycles, etc.

His attitude toward sex is likewise motivated by power and con-trol. He likes to show o with good-looking ladies, so they can boosthis ego. He uses people to gain power, and uses sex the same way.



To get power or prestige he will generally nd or look or shortcuts.Legitimate power takes too long.

Lack f Remrse r Guilt

The criminal shows little, i any guilt, in order to eectively carryout his crimes he must eel no empathy or the victim. In order to en-

joy the ruits o his crimes he must “kill any guilt or conscience.”

LyigEverybody lies occasionally. For the criminal, lying is a way o

lie. The criminal’s capacity or lying is indeed remarkable. However,lying requires a good memory, and unless the man is very clever,

he will soon be caught by his own lies.Even when the criminal tells the truth, it is requently a con

game. He uses truth to gain trust, and then starts lying. The clevercriminal develops the capacity to tell hal-truths, believing that heis an honest man, yet orgetting the hal-truths are also hal-lies.

Lack f Lyalty ad TrustThe criminal eels that trusting someone makes him dependent

and weak. “Even riends betray you.” He is not trustworthy himsel,so he thinks everyone is untrustworthy. A “riend” is someone totalk to about crimes and with whom to commit crimes. There is noopenness, no trust. The criminal will say that people have to trusthim beore he can get a job or go straight, but he is unwilling towork towards earning trust.

Lack f Psitive Affect[Aect: the way emotion is expressed - such as euphoria, anger

and sadness. It is dierent rom mood. Mood is how you eel at aparticular time; aect is how that mood is expressed.]

The criminal does not express his eelings, and eventually losestouch with them. He akes positive emotion to get what he wants.He shows anger when he aces rustration, or is being put down.

The suppression o guilt or moral eeling leads to fatness o a -ect. This perhaps helps the criminal cope with his criminal activities,yet gradually makes him less alive, and his capacity or enjoying lie

is decreased.



Pr Ability T LveWhen a criminal talks about love, he is usually talking about

what love can do or him rather than what he can do or love. Heuses and manipulates the people he loves or his own ends. He

may truly believe that he loves his parents or his wie and children.I he truly loved them, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt them, yethe oten does hurt them, either directly or indirectly.

There is a common misconception that the criminal does notlove himsel and thereore cannot love others. We say that heloves himsel too much. Thereore there is no room or others. Thecriminal conuses need with love. He may need a certain personto build himsel up to make him look good, to bail him out when

he’s in trouble, or to keep him rom being lonely in jail.

Lack f Respsibility ad Geeral Atiscial BeavirThe criminal is an irresponsible individual. It shows by his being

unable or unwilling to keep a steady job, being late or an appoint-ment, having diculty in keeping a promise, not returning moneyhe borrowed, etc. Responsibility implies duty and obligation toloved ones and society in general. For example, a man separated

rom his wie may have the responsibility to pay child support. Adriver has the responsibility to pay trac nes or parking tickets. The criminal ignores these responsibilities.

In act, the criminal will requently go out o his way to demon-strate his disregard or, or contempt o, social norms or standards.For example, he may swear or spit in public. He may pollute theenvironment or smoke in public places where it is clear that smok-ing is prohibited.

The criminal is always planning and replanning the “big score,”but he never gets around to it. He must be content to dream. Whendemands are placed on him (writing a letter, paying a bill, handlinga marital problem, etc.), the criminal quickly puts o what he shouldbe doing, and again dreams o the big score, which he thinkswould solve all his problems. He is always looking or a shortcutto “responsible” living. In the meantime, he spends his energy onimmediate excitement.

Lw Tlerace t Frustrati, Pr Mtivati r Stayig Pwerfr Lg-Rage Gals

The criminal seems to have a very low tolerance to rustration.When he wants something, e.g. ood, sex or money, he usually wants



it now, not later. I his wishes are blocked or delayed, he gets veryirritated and demanding. He believes he can do almost anything,yet he seldom sticks to any project or goal that requires sustainedeort. Fortunately or society, this character faw may explain why

he eventually gets caught.

ExcitemetThe criminal is continuously looking or a thrill. He is easily

bored, and excitement relieves some o his boredom. Crime isexciting. The planning and execution o the crime provides lotso excitement. The party ollowing a successul “score” is anotheropportunity or excitement. A criminal believes the lives “squares”

lead are boring, and cannot understand how law-abiding peoplelive routine lives day ater day.

Vilece ad AgerViolence perorms several important unctions or the criminal.

First, it is used or intimidation in order to gain power and control.Many criminals, or example, would use implied or actual violenceto keep their “old ladies” where they want them.

Second, it is used as a cover-up or ear. Rather than admittingto being scared, the criminal will get into a ght to show o his“macho” qualities.

Third, it is used as evidence o his virility. A man should knowhow to ght, how to take care o himsel, and how to protect hispossessions. The criminal rarely recognizes that it sometimes takesmore o a man to avoid a ght than to get into one.

Anger is basic to the criminal. He is always boiling inside. Whensomething doesn’t go his way, or when he is put down, he gets evenangrier. Sometimes he gets angry at himsel when he hears o abetter score he missed out on. The anger spreads until it takes holdo everything in the criminal’s lie. Then he explodes, taking out hisanger on others, and perhaps committing crimes. This relieves hisanger by making him eel on top again.

PrideThe criminal believes he is better than others, a “man o prin-

ciple,” never giving in to the system. He is too good or common jobs. “I can’t lower mysel to the level o the common people. I havemy pride.” He has too much pride to admit he screwed up.



0

PretesiThe criminal believes he has the ability to become whatever he

wants to — a doctor, a priest, a businessman. However, he neverattempts to acquire the necessary skills. “I don’t have to prove

mysel. I know I could do it, i I wanted to.” He really believes he isabove all others, pretending to be something that he is not. So heeasily eels put down because people don’t show him the respecthe deserves. When asked why he hasn’t attained a higher positionin lie, he always blames others, maintaining that he is still tops.

Iability T Put himself I Smee Else’s SesThe criminal’s view o injury is limited to bodily harm. He does

not consider the “ripple eect” o his crimes—the emotional dam-age to the victim, the victim’s living in ear o uture crimes againsthim or her, the inconvenience to the victim and to others not di-rectly involved such as the victim’s amily, the insurance company,those who have to make repairs, etc. He expects the world to seethings his way, to understand how he eels. But he can’t do this orothers.

owersipOwnership is the extreme orm o control. When the criminalwants something like a car or a woman, he cons, lies, picks a lock,does whatever is necessary to “take possession.” Then he eelsthat he has worked or it, so it is his. He owns it. The real owner nolonger matters. He eels he owns the people around him. His wie,his co-workers, his children are all his to control. They must do ashe wishes.



Bad, but GdThe criminal oten perorms good deeds. He may be kind to

his mother, love children and animals, be artistic, and so on. All thisconvinces the criminal that “I’m basically a good person.” But the

criminal changes rom good to bad, and back again, all the time. Hemay have the sincere wish to “straighten out” one minute, but plana crime the next minute. He may be a riend to someone one day,but cheat him the next day. The criminal oten has good intentions,but he doesn’t put these into a good, honest living pattern. He isable to be at times a good person, and at times a bad person. “WhenI’m in church, I think church. When I’m home, I think crime.”

PerfectiistThe criminal thinks o himsel as a perectionist. “When I do

something, I do it right.” He sets the highest standards or himsel,but only in certain areas. Thus, he may dress “perectly,” but do apoor job at work. He may clean his foor so well that “you can eato it,” but only do it twice a year. Being a perectionist adds to hisbelie that he is number one.

SuggestibilityThe criminal rejects any suggestions o reorming, job training,etc., saying that he has his own ideas. But when he hears sugges-tions about things he nds exciting—like a new way to get high, anew style o crime, etc.—he jumps in without thinking. He doesn’tbother to check into it. He will agree to almost any suggestion thatis in line with what he wants—excitement, money, and so on.

Clsed Cael f CmmuicatiThe criminal does not tell others his true, inner thoughts. Re-

vealing his secrets would open him up to criticism o his aults andweaknesses. The criminal cannot stand criticism. He only hears romothers what he wants to hear. He has too much pride to listen toother points o view, because this would prove he doesn’t “know itall.” He only listens to things that support what he already believes.Oten he pretends to listen, and agrees only to lead others on. Thecriminal criticizes others, but never takes a critical look at himsel.



FearFear is a constant or the criminal—ear o the uture, ear o

being caught, etc. But he never admits to these, and he scorns earin others, saying it is a sign o weakness. His greatest ear is o his

own ear. Being araid might keep him rom committing crime andleading his exciting liestyle. Thus, he shuts out any ears. He doesnot show or admit ear, even to himsel.

“Zer State”For the criminal, it’s “all or nothing.” When he’s on top, every-

thing is ne. However, when he gets put down—when things don’tgo his way, or when someone makes a ool o him—he hits rock

bottom. He eels like a zero. When the criminal is in this state, hethinks everyone else also sees him as a zero. He gets rustrated andangry.

SpecialEarly in lie, the criminal decides to “go it alone.” He sees himsel

as dierent rom and above everyone else. He squeezes others outo his lie (so he never knows that others think like he does). With

women, he is the greatest. With a new job, he doesn’t need train-ing—he’s above that. Rules and morals: he makes his own—hedoesn’t need to ollow society’s. Crime: his M.O. is the best. Othersare o the common pack. Even in zero state, “Nobody is as down asme.” You have got to understand him. He’s special.

“I Ca’t”When the criminal is unable to do a task, he won’t admit it.

Instead, he puts down the task, saying it is unworthy o his eorts.But i he doesn’t want to do something, he says, “I can’t.” “I can’tdo math.” “I can’t stand my boss.” “I can’t be there on time.” “I can’tsave money.” “I can’t resist it.” This works because people believehim. Ater a while, the criminal is unable to do it, so others excusehim. Eventually the criminal starts believing it himsel. In trying togo straight, the criminal makes a hal-hearted try, but keeps return-ing to prison saying, “I can’t change.”



Te Appreeded Crimial“Justice,” or the criminal, is not getting caught. When caught,

he protests, uses loopholes in the law, postpones hearings, etc. Hedenies whatever cannot be proven against him. Most o all, the

criminal acts like he is the victim. He blames his childhood, society,the economy, his partners, the situation in which he was caught,even his own mental state which he claims he could not help (e.g.“I was really depressed at the time.” ) Everyone else is to blame. I convicted, he tries whatever he can think o to reduce his sentence.He’ll say what he believes others want to hear. The criminal reusesto take responsibility or his actions. He sees society as unt orhim, not vice versa. He eels that the world isn’t being air.

Lack f AwareessThe criminal is not aware o the eect his crime has on his

loved ones (i.e. ather, mother, wie, children, close riends, etc.).His lack o awareness is aided by using excuses. Drugs and alcoholare good examples. There are many others such as unemployment,bad upbringing, lack o love, etc.

Crimial Tikig: All te TimeThe criminal is constantly thinking o ways to commit crime.When in a bank or store, he thinks o a plan to rob it. When withsomeone he doesn’t like, he plans a way to hurt him. When aroundan attractive woman, he dreams o how to get her. He commits veryew o these crimes— there just isn’t time. When he does pull a

job, even i it is a robbery o a store he has never seen beore, he isacting out a job he has planned countless times previously. Thereis no such thing as a “compulsion to commit crime.” This wouldmean the criminal could not stop himsel. He can stop himsel, anddoes i he eels he is going to get caught.

Ccrete TikigThe criminal lacks the ability to recognize similarities between

situations, i.e. concepts. He has trouble learning rom past mistakes.He takes each situation as completely new. He does not understandconcepts o obligation, trust or loyalty. He sees these only in terms

o how he might use them or his own gain. This inability is not something with which the criminal is born.

He simply does not bother to learn how to see similarity betweenthings, because he doesn’t see this as something he can use.



Te Crimial i ReabilitatiThe criminal views the social worker, psychologist or mental

health worker as gullible or a “sucker,”a person who has to be de-eated through a series o tactics. The criminal says what he thinks

the worker wants to hear, but hides the rest. He lies, attempts toconuse, and agrees simply to agree. He hears only what he wantsto hear. He misses appointments or ails to do assignments, claim-ing he “didn’t understand.”

n-arrestable CrimialityCriminal behavior may maniest itsel in a person who has never

been arrested. A power thrust is seen in those who get ahead at

the expense o others. The “non-arrestable” criminal cuts corners,cheats and seeks power or its own sake. Criminals who have beenarrested sometimes appear to go straight ater leaving prison. Forexample, those who “get religion” but see themselves as “pure andsaintly,” rather than as humble sinners, are oten just going througha non-arrestable phase, only to return to crime later.

Games Prisoners Play Ch2

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