Only Birds are Free

Correctional Nurse Shares Stories

“Istarted doing this because I wanted people to know what I do. So many people ask: what’s a normal day for you? This is it,” says nurse Kristina Schelhaas. Schelhaas began nursing in 2011 and has since worked in hospital settings, hospice, and now the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre. Her first book, Just a Nurse, contained seven stories from her time as a hospice nurse, and her latest release, Only Birds are Free, follows her on her journey as a correctional nurse from her first shift, through life-changing moments between inmates, their families, and Schelhaas herself. The book was written in three weeks, and Schelhaas handpicked stories from her eight years of service.

“My favourite story from my second book is the first story, and it’s about coming home, walking through the doors of the jail, and everything that happened in that shift. It sets the basis of my career,” she explains.

The author has changed inmates’ names and stories slightly to protect the identities of those involved, but when it comes to getting a look inside correctional nursing, this is as real as it gets. As a wife and mother of three, Schelhaas’s ability to see past the inmates’ circumstances, and supporting their achievements are the hallmarks of her practice. The nurse explains she’s never experienced something that made her say I can’t do this anymore. On the contrary—the more time she has spent as a nurse, the more she is convinced that “if there was a picture next to the saying ‘I Am Nurse’” it would be Schelhaas’s face framed.

She shares stories that remove the dehumanized association with those in jail. In her story, “For the Love of an Addict,” she witnesses an individual who had previously become a repeat offender experience a moment of catharsis that would come to change the young man’s life. On the other hand, she speaks on her experience consoling a mother that had lost her son, and the corollaries within tragedy and triumph. “You’re a part of their daily life. It’s like having a cup of coffee with someone at Tim’s and talking about your lives,” she says. “We’re talking to inmates like we’re meeting them on the street, so medical jargon isn’t always helpful. Sometimes we need to be more assertive. In most hospital settings there is some family or support, but here it’s just us. Leaving is just as scary as coming in for these people.”

The author is excited to share copies with inmates. “What I’ve learned most is you have to meet everybody where they are at. Celebrate their small successes and recognize them,” she reflects.

Schelhaas’s second attempt at self-publishing gave her more creative control, and her book is currently for sale on Amazon and will be available through Entershine Bookshop shortly.

“You’re a part of their daily life. It’s like having a cup of coffee with someone at Tim’s and talking about your lives.”