A paper on Critical Thinking
...ound or associations. These are just a few of the barriers that impact our views. Many of these barriers are imbedded deep within ourselves. Understanding these barriers helps but understanding alone not will make anyone a better critical thinker. Patience, practice, mental discipline and hard work are needed to acquire effective critical thinking skills. Self-awareness, firm moral and ethical values coupled with the ability to be honest with one’s self are all prerequisites for achieving success in critical thinking. Looking back almost thirty years ago when I just began working in the prison system, I realize now that many of my thoughts were judgmental and stereotypical. I thought inmates were mean spirited, belligerent, volatile, arrogant and hostile. I also believed that inmates had no privileges and were confined to their cells for the better part of the day. Imagine my surprise to find that most inmates were polite, friendly, peaceful and respectful. It was interesting to find them walking freely about the prison, working with me in the prison hospital, going to the mess hall three times a day, receiving food packages from home, making telephone calls, attending high school and college classes and last but not least owning personal televisions, radios, typewriters and word processors. I could go on and on and on! I also believed that all incarcerated abided by the prison rules and regulations – not so – many break the rules and have to be “locked up” (administrative segregation) within the prison. I never imagined that there was any opportunity for the inmates to develop educationally, spiritually and physically. The reality is they have educational programs, which affords them the chance to obtain their high school diploma and even a college degree. Spiritual growth is evident by the representation from the three major denominations: Protestant, Catholic and Muslim. They are encouraged to display their musical talents through band and choir participation. They take great interest in addressing their health care concerns through the various medical clinics: neurological, dental, eye, chronic care, sick call and many more. In retrospect the services rendered to the prison community can be equated to the services that the general public can access. My perception was that when you were incarcerated your health care was limited to extreme emergencies only and that the...