Education of inmates can break the high recidivism rate in The Bahamas� prison system, said Cassius Stuart, Leader of the Bahamas Democratic Movement, in a report before The Bahamas Prison Reform Commission on Nov. 6.
He said it should be mandatory for all adult prisoners to receive a proper education while in prison as a part of the overall rehabilitation process.
“We need to take crucial steps in rebuilding lives and channeling energy for a positive future for our inmates. These prisoners will be given the opportunity to sit the BJC and the BGCSE and other examinations,” said Mr. Stuart.
He said the main thrust of education in prisons is to provide opportunities for offenders to attain a range of nationally recognised qualifications, which will enhance their employability on their release.
“We should expend learning opportunities for prisoners to gain recognised qualifications and training opportunities in other areas of the prison’s curriculum such as vocational training, IT (Information Technology) and basic and key skills, through BTVI and The College of The Bahamas,” Mr. Stuart said.
“A rigorous all-rounded education programme should be designed to rebuild inmate students intellectually, socially, emotionally, morally and physically. The syllabus should include academic courses, IT courses and vocational courses, he added.
Prison education should seek to bring together the teaching resources of the prison department in an environment conducive to learning, said Mr. Stuart.
There is a need, he said, for prison officers with special skills in teaching. “Hence they should seek to upgrade the skills of the officers to be able to effectively disseminate information in a learning environment,” Mr. Stuart said.
A trained psychologist should be sought after to develop and spearhead a social skills programme, aimed at providing inmates with basic social skills for their personal development by adopting positive behaviour instead of maintaining past criminal conduct, said Mr. Stuart.
“Education is not just about IQ (Intelligence Quotient) but it is also learning emotional skills EQ (Emotional Quotient). Many crimes have been committed in The Bahamas because most of our citizens have not learnt the art of conflict resolution.
“This programme, if implemented, would be specifically designed to address the lack of social skills amongst our young men. Psychology should also be taught as a subject matter toward a positive end. Most importantly, it would also help them to adapt to life in prison, in both social and coping skills,” he said.
As computer skills are essential for surviving in today�s workforce, Mr. Stuart said, any attempt of rehabilitation should include the use and training of computer.
“The use of computers within our prison facilities will greatly provide inmate students with a better understanding of today’s world,” he said.
He added: “It is my recommendation that every subject is fully computer integrated and study materials should be provided by CD or via the Internet.
This method will allow student inmates to do self-study at their own pace, before sitting for a test, or which will be automatically graded by computer.”
Her Majesty Prisons should provide a core curriculum, said Mr. Stuart, which would include basic Math, English, and general courses, Pitman, GCE �O� Levels, GCE �A� Levels, associate’s, bachelor’s and also master’s degrees.
There should also be co-curricular activities that would provide access to resource libraries via the Internet, and books, said Mr. Stuart. Foreign languages such as Creole, Spanish and French should be considered a part of the course; basketball, tennis, cricket, and volleyball, craft, manufacturing, painting, gardening, painting, masonry, plumbing, drama, singing, and as many others as possible should be integrated into the curriculum.
Said Mr. Stuart: “We believe that our young men in prison have a lot of resources in terms of human resources and they can do much more than they have been doing. Therefore, once we’ve put them into a structured environment, it would provide a better avenue for them to channel their energies in a more positive end.”
In the area of technical training, said Mr. Stuart, the prison should look at IT competency which deals with computer manufacturing and assembly, web design, computer diagnosis and network solutions.
“These areas are becoming more prevalent in today’s world and a person incarcerated for 10 years would be out of touch so if we provide them with the necessary foundation or training which would give him an opportunity to be integrated into society easier, ten-to-one he would not commit the same crimes that he would have done before, because he would have been given the training in our correctional institution,” he added.
Mr. Stuart also called for the prison curriculum to cover moral education, religious counselling and social skills training.
The proposed core curriculum, he said, would provide prisoners with opportunities to prepare themselves for employment on release through developmental work courses or through the social and life skills programme.
Her Majesty’s Prison must have a library equipped with all categories of books, articles, publication and reference materials, and prisoners, enrolled in prison school, must have the opportunity to visit the library, he said.
On drug reform in the prison, Mr. Stuart said: “Most drug abusers end up committing criminal offenses to support their habits, therefore, it is essential for the committee to seek to establish three operational rehabilitation centres throughout The Bahamas and one anti-inhalant abuse centre.
“Individuals who volunteer and who test positive for drugs, he said, would be required to spend up to six months in one of these rehabilitation centres with additional time added if total rehabilitation was not reached.
“Rehabilitation sometimes requires going the extra mile therefore, we should seek to create two privately operated programmes that attempt to assist prisoners and drug abusers find jobs and stay out of the prison system.
“It is also my recommendation that this committee seeks to establish the operation job training programmes in the prisons, which will manage day-release programmes for the prisoners. We should also seek to provide counselling for drug abusers after their release from rehabilitation centres and find employment for drug abusers and monitor their progress after placement, he said.
The recovery process for inmates should not stop after their discharge, said Mr. Stuart. Helping inmates regain their self-sufficiency in life after prison requires a “seamless continuum of services,” he said. Therefore, life after prison programmes that would involve helping inmates after their release, should be developed to complement and enhance the rehabilitation efforts of the prison.
Since its appointment in October, the Bahamas Prison Reform Commission has interviewed and continue to interview a number of individuals from various professions and the community on how best to move the prison from an institution of retribution and punishment to that of rehabilitation and reintegration.
The commission is scheduled to present a report on the prison system in The Bahamas to the Prime Minister early next year.
By Linda Major, Bahamas Information Services
