Childhood Trauma in the Prison Population

[Kizzie]

This is a powerful video about the prevalence of childhood trauma in the lives of prisoners - Step Inside the Circle

In the film 235 prisoners in a maximum security prison in the US formed a circle and took one step inside the circle for every traumatic event they had experienced in childhood as it was read out to them by Fritzi Horstman, Founder and Executive Director of Compassion Prison Project.

When the circle is complete, we see that we are not alone, part of a community, our pain is shared, and that almost all of us have been victims of inhumanity and violence.  This is prison reform.

[Blueberry]

Very powerful and moving. Thanks for linking, Kizzie. 

[Kizzie]

One of my fellow Co-Chairs in the ISSTS Special Interest Group for Complex Trauma is a lawyer working on prison reform and I sent it to her in case she hadn't seen it. She hadn't and was moved to tears because it does make the point so visually about the lasting toll childhood trauma takes on people, especially those are marginalized because of poverty, racism, etc. I think if we were to do the same thing with the addiction population the result would be the same. 

[brightlight]

Thank you for sharing this Kizzie.

I saw a US based clip similar where high school kids were all in a line, this was more about privilege and race a bit as that can be a bigger disadvantage in the US but this can be made with any example. The reason we are all here struggling is not because of the decisions we made.

Warning: There is a bit at the end which quotes the bible in case this triggers anyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5fbQ1-zps