In the wake of a staff member's suicide at a New York state correctional facility, prisoners and educators are turning to simple acts of reflection to combat despair during the holidays. A gratitude tree initiative at Eastern NY Correctional Facility revealed shared sources of hope among inmates and staff. These efforts highlight the resilience found even in harsh prison environments.
On November 17, Abdallah Hadian, a 55-year-old civilian imam, entered a New York state correctional facility armed with a firearm. He proceeded to the administration building and took his own life by shooting himself. The incident shocked inmates, who noted that while suicides among prisoners are often met with indifference, a staff member's death stands out sharply.
The author, serving his 16th year for manslaughter stemming from a 2009 altercation that ended in his girlfriend's death, shared his own past suicidal ideation following the event. After surviving a collapsed lung and facing intense guilt during trial, he found purpose in prison journalism, focusing on human stories like parenting and isolation. He argues that prisoners' coping strategies under extreme conditions offer valuable lessons for suicide prevention.
At Eastern NY Correctional Facility, the holiday season brings no festive decorations—only yellowed suicide-prevention notices on bulletin boards. Long-term inmates, some with life sentences and decades away from family, demonstrate remarkable endurance. Elderly prisoners, walking with canes, engage in games like Scrabble and spades, maintaining a simple routine.
In response to inmates expressing a lack of gratitude during the holidays, acting educational supervisor Nicole Cooke initiated a creative project. She painted a bare tree on the school building wall and distributed paper jars labeled 'I'm thankful for,' inviting participants to fill them as leaves. Cooke recalled, “I didn’t like that,” when students said they had nothing to be grateful for.
The author later examined 82 collected jars, finding 46 referencing family or 'mi familia,' alongside mentions of individuals like 'mom' or 'Ms. Cooke.' Notably, staff members, who leave the facility daily unlike inmates, also contributed, blending their reflections with those of prisoners. This display underscored a collective will to live, echoing Albert Camus's observation: “Rarely is suicide committed through reflection.”
Such initiatives reveal intimate sources of hope, fostering a shared sense of purpose amid incarceration's inhumanity.
