Time Outs Work For Inmates Too

Yesterday I had a session of Reception Center (RC) inmates . . . eleven of them!  That's more than I usually have, but with the RC normally they are gone before you can get them scheduled.   Within a minute or less of their arrival, I heard the "F" word four times.  Actually, I heard it once before they all got through the door.  Honestly, many of them don't even realize they say it.  I told them up front that the word wasn't allowed but, again, they don't even realize they say it.  I knew it was going to be a crazy time, but they were all young inmates and respectful to me so I knew that humor would be my best approach.  A group of three sat on one side of the room and chatted the whole time.  The "F" word slipped out quite a bit, but they quickly pointed fingers at each other, laughingly, and apologized to me.  I could only laugh, as did most of the other eight inmates.  At one point, I took a wadded up piece of paper and threw it at them, missing, but causing laughter throughout the room.  A bit later, after another bad word slipped out of someone's mouth I told them they should bang their heads together. Two of them actually did, causing more laughter!  Those three boys, really they were just boys, continued to laugh and talk and slip out that nasty word.  Finally, towards the end of the session, I told one of them that he was out of control and needed a time out.  I sent him to a corner, and told him to face the wall.  He did, but he continued to talk and told me that when he was a little boy his mother would send him to time out but that it never worked.  I believed him.  When custody staff came for them, the officer asked if they'd behaved.  I told him that I had to put one on time out but it didn't seem to help.  One of the crazy three said, "She threw paper at us, and banged our heads together!"  The officer laughed and said, "So you want to come back next week?"  They all laughed and said, "YES!"  If they put in a request to come back, of course they'll be called, but not those three together!!