#Kingston, April 5, 2019 – Jamaica – The rehabilitation programme at the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town is providing inmates with a second chance at life.
Through academic and vocational training, recreational
programmes and other interventions, the inmates are
being equipped with viable skills and qualifications that they can apply, once they
have completed their sentences, thereby enabling them to redirect their path
and secure a better future.
“We try to find programmes to engage these
inmates,” Senior Superintendent in charge of the facility, Herbert McFarlane,
tells JIS News.
“Our aim is to rehabilitate them, so that
when they go back to society, they become more worthwhile citizens and do not
return to a life of crime,” he notes.
Senior Superintendent McFarlane, who has
served the correctional system for over 40 years, says that the rehabilitation programme
has made a difference in reforming persons who have found themselves on the
wrong side of the law. He is
particularly pleased about the educational achievements of the inmates. “When I
took over, the school was the first place that I refurbished. That tells you my
value on education,” he notes.
At the school, some 160 inmates are currently
benefiting from classes ranging from
basic literacy and numeracy to preparing them to sit the Caribbean
Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
These classes have produced good results over
the years with some persons earning up to nine subjects. One
former inmate, who recently left the facility, is now a student at a
tertiary institution.
In addition to academics, the inmates are
engaged in skills training in areas such as tailoring, furniture and sauce
making, automotive work, as well as broadcasting through the operation of an internal
radio station.
With the skills learnt, the inmates are able
to contribute to the upkeep of the correctional centre and also give back to
society.
Recently, the St. Michelle’s Primary School and the St. Simon’s
Primary and Infant School in Clarendon benefited from 26 handcrafted
combination desk and chair sets that were made by the inmates.
The donation was made under the Direct
Result of Inmates’ Value and Empowerment (DRIVE) programme, through which the inmates
are provided opportunities to give back to communities in areas such as
agriculture, woodwork and roadworks, as well as bushing, painting and general
repairs to buildings.
There is also a tailoring establishment where
uniforms are made for correctional officers and prisoners.
“We have a
welding shop that takes care of all the welding work such as repairs to grills
and bars,” Senior
Superintendent McFarlane tells JIS News.
The inmates are also engaged in income-generating projects
such as baking and sauce making, and there is a booming
agricultural programme. The products are sold, supplied to other correctional
institutions or used to supplement meals.
A portion of the funds generated goes to the inmates, with the
majority going into the operation of the prison, thereby reducing costs. The institution
copped the first-place prize in 2017 in the Jamaica 4-H Clubs Home Gardening
competition, and placed second during the 2018 showing.
Senior Superintendent McFarlane tells
JIS News that the correctional
institution is moving to supply supermarkets and has engaged the Scientific
Research Council (SRC) in ensuring quality standards and to assist with labelling
and packaging.
“We are building on existing skills,” says
Community Development Coordinator at the SRC, Yanique Rodgers.
“The products that they are making are at a very
high standard, very good quality, so we want to help them to make the products
in such a way that they can be easily commercialised,” she tells JIS News.
She notes that the sauces can be exported, and the
labelling and packaging are attractive.
“So, we are very impressed with what they are
doing with the small amount of resources that they have. They have done a very
good job,” she adds.
Ms. Rodgers says with the support being provided
by the SRC, the inmates will be able to seek employment or start business
ventures.
In addition to the education and skills
training, the inmates are also engaged in recreational
activities, such as an annual football competition, domino tournaments, and
quiz contests.
Minister
of State in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, says that the
rehabilitation programme at the St. Catherine Correctional Centre is ensuring
that when incarcerated persons are released, they can
be successfully reintegrated into society.
He hails the focus on education. “We have found the solution, and
the solution is education, giving inmates a second chance at life,” he notes.
Contact: Garfield L. Angus
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Header: Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Rudyard Spencer (left), looks at sauces produced by inmates of the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, during a recent tour of the institution in Spanish Town. At right is Corporal Joel Lilly.
1st Insert: Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Rudyard Spencer (right), look at items made by inmates of the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, during a recent tour of the institution in Spanish Town. Senior Superintendent in charge of the facility, Herbert McFarlane (left), and Commissioner of Corrections, Ina Hunter, accompanied Mr. Spencer on the tour.
2nd Insert: Community Development Coordinator at the Scientific Research Council (SRC), Yanique Rodgers (right), discusses the labelling on a bottle of sauce with Senior Superintendent in charge of the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, Herbert McFarlane (left), and Corporal Joel Lilly. The sauces are among items made by inmates as part of their rehabilition programme.