Anecdote Example 12 Inmates Rival Gangs At Same RPG Table

This one

he had the opportunity to introduce role-playing games to inmates in the Salt Lake City/County jail. The facilities were over twice their capacity (the facilities later received significant legal notice by organizations for many violations), and a powder keg that was already exploding.

To help calm the situation in a "quarantine cell" meant for only 16 inmates but holding 30+, with half the inmates having to sleep on the stone floors, in a metal & stone cell with only a few dim bulbs for light, with the phones & tv shutoff, and other privileges suspended for all inmates.

To try to calm down this very dangerous situation, he implemented, with nothing but pencils and notepaper (the few allowed items during this "lock down" period), a lightweight version of the Middle-earth Role-Playing game system by Iron Crown Enterprises.

Not only were the inmates directly involved with the game helped by this (crossing gang, racial, and other boundaries to work together), but the rest of the inmates watching/listening found even the observation of the sessions very helpful, especially those going through extreme drug withdrawal (nobody during this 10 day lock-down period was allowed phone calls, access to medication, etc.), found the narrative discussion helped them "hang on to themselves", and kept the cell from "blowing up".

It should be noted, nobody else in that facility had prior RPG experience (worth noting!).

12 players at the table, some from the rival gangs from the earlier stabbing/fight that caused the lock down, Black, Latino, Vietnamese, Navajo ("Chief"), several white supremecists with schwastikas, and some others.

And the rest of the inmates asked up to keep going, they could "see" the scenes.