Acting Superintendent of the Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Percy Adams has called on members of the business community to support the rehabilitation efforts of the prison.
Adams said the assistance is needed from corporate Antigua to propel programmes that can aid in the assistance of rehabilitating the inmates, preparing them for the working world when they leave the penal institution.
The acting superintendent made the call at a Work and Life Skills Programme graduation ceremony on Thursday, arranged by the Directorate of Gender Affairs for inmates at the institution.
Out of the original 18 who started the course, 11 inmates completed the six-month programme and were awarded certificates during the televised ceremony.
Matron of the Prison Collette Edwards in delivering the welcoming remarks said the programme, introduced in 2009, seeks to equip the participants with the basic skills needed for meaningful employment.
“Although many may consider prison as a correctional facility geared to punish inmates, one of our goals is to assist in the rehabilitation on inmates. As testimony to the success of the work and life skills programme, this ceremony marks its fifth year,” she said.
Edwards also urged the inmates to be guided in their actions and thinking as prison is not the final chapter of their lives. Edwards said once they remain focused they could make a positive impact on others.
Research Officer in the Directorate of Gender Affairs Craig Rijkaard said the main aim of the Work and Life Skills Programme is to re-integrate former inmates into society.
“We are ensuring that the mechanisms are in place and we are able to assist those vulnerable individuals within our society. Gender Affairs derived a programme that will facilitate training, whereby inmates will be given the necessary tools to see life behind the big red gate,” he said.
Although the program has met a few glitches over the years, Rijkaard said it has fostered a closer relationship between the hierarchy of the prison and the directorate.
Some components of the courses involve active participation in sessions that explore how they fit into the community; family life; good parenting; gender-based violence; anger management; behavioural change communication; setting up small businesses; conducting interviews; writing resumes; maintaining a healthy lifestyle (spiritually and otherwise); HIV/AIDS and STIs; the Labour Code and other laws that govern the nation; and human rights, among others.
“We are ensuring that inmates forget the mistakes of the past and truly press on to the greater achievements of having a brighter and more productive future,” Rijkaard said.
Another aspect of the programme helps the families of the prisoners to deal with the stigma associated with having one of their members incarcerated.
Part of the actual work and life skills component involves the Gender Affairs department negotiating with business places to find employment for graduates of the ongoing award-winning Work and Life Skills Programme.
This is the fifth set of inmates to graduate from the Work & Life Skills programme since its inception in 2009. It is held in two weekly sessions with contributions from 18 facilitators.
(Source http://www.antiguaobserver.com/?p=68454)
