Tag: trauma

Running Club

By: Douglas V. Johnson

Congratulations to the participants of the victim impact-related “416-2-911 RUNNING CLUB” program at RNCC. Due to the years-long waiting list for the Victim Impact Program at RNCC, incarcerated military Veterans took the initiative to start a running club in honor of the victims in their cases, their families, and their own families. The running club also doubles as an empathy-building, mentoring/peer-support program.

On 4-16 (2007), there were 32 Virginia Tech students and faculty members killed in a mass shooting. On 9-11 (2001), there were 2,977 people killed in the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

In the five months between 16 April and 11 September, the twenty-man Veteran and non-Veteran running club ran a combined total of 2055 laps (222 miles) around their recreation yard. On 9-11, they closed out their run with an Army cadence.

The requirements to be in the running club:
1.) Request to be added to the RNCC Victim Impact Program wait list;
2.) Watch the VADOC Victim Impact video (on JP6 players);
3.) Participate in H.O.P.E. (Helping Ourselves Progress and Evolve) Self-Awareness Program discussions/conversations;
4.) Intend to stay infraction-free, and
5.) Most importantly, to realize that they are running with a purpose.

If we are genuinely striving towards personal growth, it is critical we realize our crimes still have a tremendous ripple effect on others. The greatest service that we can do now, is to not waste the time they are serving in prison.

Although program opportunities and mental health services may be severely limited while we are incarcerated, let us all continue to take the initiative in creating our own opportunities for our personal growth.

DOUGLAS V. JOHNSON, II (#1937011)
RNCC Veterans Support Group
Mentorship Committee Chairman

*RNCC Facility Leader/Lead Mentor/Education Advocate for The Forty STRONG, Brilliance Behind Bars, & TF CXJ III

INCARCERATED MILITARY VETERANS’ PROGRAM IN VIRGINIA DOC

Independence, VA
July 23, 2023

River North Correctional Center (RNCC) Veterans’ Program Coordinator and discussion group facilitator Douglas V. Johnson II (#1937011) and fellow VSG Members have developed and implemented the inmate-led Self-Awareness H.O.P.E. Discussion Group Program, for the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC). The group is currently only comprised of incarcerated military Veteran’s Support Group members at RNCC and meets twice a month for one hour, [IAW VADOC OP-841.1.VII.B-D].

H.O.P.E. stands strong for “Helping Ourselves Progress & Evolve.” Due to the lack of access to -and lengthy waiting lists for- programs/educational opportunities and the severe lack of mental health services in prison, we are taking an aggressive initiative to rehabilitate and correct ourselves. We are focused on boldly confronting ourselves with thought-provoking reflective questions in order to strengthen our sense of Self-Awareness.

The 20-hour H.O.P.E. Programs’ five core objectives are to improve decision-making, find a greater sense of purpose, not waste the ‘Time’ we are serving, recognize our limitless potential, and to ultimately decrease the probability of recidivating/re-offending.

It is comprised of a total of 55 questions broken down into the following five categories:
1.) Self-Awareness;
2.) Importance of Healthy Relationships;
3.) Character, Wisdom, & Mindset;
4.) Decision-Making, Plans, & Direction; and
5.) Recognizing Potential & Establishing Positive Momentum.

Furthermore, each question also has at least one specific learning objective (i.e. mental health & substance abuse nexus, turning potential weaknesses into strengths, subconscious/auto-suggestion/patterns, assessing intentions, etc.).

A few of our upcoming discussion group questions will be:
1.) Am I aware of how my unprocessed trauma -or, moral injury- is impacting/has impacted my decision-making?
2.) Most pain ever experienced/felt (not physical pain)?
3.) How do I attain and maintain greater purpose and a healthy-level of hope while serving my Time (i.e. Life-Sentence)?
4.) What advice would I give my 21 year old self (or 21 year old Son)?
5.) What do I long for (not physical)?

Not everyone will share their life experiences/perspectives during every session, but we have found that even just listening to other’s transparency, can still lead to our own Transformation….. Self-Awareness, Personal Accountability, Maximized Potential, and Onward Positive Movement towards Greater Purpose is what H.O.P.E. is all about! HELPING OURSELVES PROGRESS & EVOLVE!!!

Pending RNCC approval, we plan to implement a non-Veteran Parole-Preparation and Re-Entry Support Group that will use H.O.P.E.’s curriculum as its foundation. H.O.P.E. will be published in workbook format and available on Amazon by Spring 2024. A list of our discussion questions can be found and downloaded on the Brilliance Behind Bars website. I encourage you to reflect on these questions and to start your own support/discussion group wherever you are.
Humbly,
-DVJ

Douglas V. Johnson II is a graduate of the Virginia Tech Center for Humanities 2022 UNCHAINED Program and whose poetry was published in the VT UNLOCKED Journal: Art and Experiences From Inside Virginia Prisons.