- “My office was the worst I had ever had in all my years of policing. It appeared to have been built as an afterthought, and never intended to be occupied.” (Page 3, It’s Always Possible, Kiran Bedi, 1998)
- “As they sat across from me at the prison-manufactured wooden table, I sensed their curiosity.
I made it clear that I respected experience and encouraged participation. I assured them that I would be learning from each of them…we should all be in it together, through thick and thin…I would take full responsibility…I would begin with trust…” (Page 5, It’s Always Possible, Kiran Bedi, 1998)
- “By being out of uniform, I hoped to signal my desire for informal communication, not authoritative distance.
I moved closer to the bunch and directed the question to one randomly chosen inmate.
I realized that I was becoming a part of that ‘we.’
I volunteered one…”(Page 8-9, It’s Always Possible, Kiran Bedi, 1998)
- “The system could not cope with almost four times as many people as it was constructed for.” (Page 16-17, It’s Always Possible, Kiran Bedi, 1998)
Much worse then scenes in The Shawshank Redemption. This is my very first impression after reading through the chapter.
In My First Day in Prison, as the new Inspector General, Kiran was attempting to build connections with three different groups of people within Tihar Jail. The first is the staff, including senior staff, the Deputy Inspector General, and the superintendents. As I quote above, Kiran sensed staff’s curiosity in the first place and successfully took advantage of this unique psychological stage. I think in that she offered her vulnerability for the staff by using words like “respect,” “assured,” “full responsibility,” and “trust,” the staff also provide their vulnerability back to Kiran, at least temporarily. (One potential reason is that when Kiran arrived her office on time the second day, her assistants were already there.) Thus, here, in order to expect a positive and active cooperation with the staff, Kiran tried to reveal her kindness (or “unconditional positive regards”) to provoke staff’s kindness and willingness to cooperate.
The second group, male inmates in Prison No.1. Out of uniform, Kiran created a sense of equity, the indifferent communicating relationship, instead of emphasizing on her authority. Another specific technique she applied was keeping asking questions, not only in Prison No.1, but also in her office meeting with the staff. As simple as “do you pray?” questions could effectively raise the attention of inmates and thus, make them think. While no one answered, Kiran “directed the question to one randomly chosen inmate,” and the inmate answered “yes.” This first step of creating conversation was so important that directly blurred the borders between Kiran and inmates, between staff and inmates, even between inmates themselves. At last, Kiran used first-personal perspective, “we,” which again erased the boundary, to enable the group singing possible. Kiran’s experience with inmates in Prison No.1 actually reminds me of an experiment in social psychology. Under the same circumstances (crime type, timing, degree of armed, number of onlookers, etc.) of being robbed or physically violated, the possibility of receiving help from people around greatly depends on how the victim calls for help. In one case, the victim calls: “Help! Someone help me!” but actually still very small chance the victim would get help from people passing by. In the other case, the victim points one person and meanwhile calls: “You! Help me!” and the chance of that particular person would offer help is considerably raised, which means the victim is highly likely to be helped. Very much like what happened when Kiran entered Prison No.1.
The third group, female prisoners “homecomed” Kiran. Despite of the technique of asking questions, Kiran also gave those inmates a “first-sugar.” By saying to provide them the opportunity to study, read, and write, Kiran accepted inmates’ applause (admission or support indeed) as the payback.
Another example that could show how Kiran explored the prison system and interacted with people inside was the incident of a prisoner in Jail 4 badly beaten by officers. Kiran handled this knotty situation calmly and methodically. I do not want to illustrate the event again, but how firmly she stuck to the rules and how well-organized the procedure was were really astonishing and respectable. Disregard of the gangs rule, she not only educated the officers who violated the law, but also solve the rooted problem of the insecurity of officers along with their families. Kiran was so sharp while looking at the problem, and then solve the fundamental one, instead of only disposing the condition on surface.