Garth Rattray | Our prisons are reflecting society – is rehabilitation working?

Being able to play musical instruments and even record music while incarcerated as part of the rehabilitative process is one thing, but the ‘new releases’ from an incarcerated popular dancehall icon is quite another. The thick cloud surrounding that particular example appears impenetrable; and so, we are no wiser on the subject. However, I note that other entertainment icons, who are incarcerated abroad, have remained absolutely silent while serving their sentences. Why is Jamaica different?

It is obvious to me that the way that our lockups (jails), and prisons (rehabilitation centres) are run begs for trouble in several ways. When relatives, family members and friends provide clothes, footwear, toiletries, and food, it opens the door for corruption and [possibly serious] security breaches. Outsiders smuggle in money, telephones, phone chargers, and even weapons. Sometimes they are discovered but sometimes these contraband items find their way into the cells with the cooperation or complicity of some of those entrusted to guard the inmates.

The government should provide all food, all clothing items, all footwear, and all toiletries for incarcerated individuals. There needs to be one standard colour and pattern for clothing and footwear worn by every single inmate. As things are, if an inmate escapes into the streets, no one can easily tell him/her apart from other citizens because they wear regular clothes and blend in with regular people. I find this to be utterly ridiculous.

Not only should the government be held solely responsible for feeding prisoners in lockups and in the penitentiaries … not only should no food items of any kind be allowed from outside; inmates should grow crops to assist in feeding other inmates. Some should also care for livestock as part of a self-sustenance policy. This should be part of the ‘hard labour’ sentences we hear being handed down. I very much doubt if that is being enforced.

REINFORCEMENT

An essential aspect of wearing prison uniforms is the reinforcement of the psychological awareness of being incarcerated. Wearing regular clothes gives inmates the ability to partially divorce themselves from their reality of being behind bars for a reason. Having to wear uniforms diminishes their individuality, lessens their feeling of independence (of freedom while behind bars), and is, of course, a very effective anti-escape measure.

If incarcerated, all clothing should be prison-issued. They should have very distinguishing features. The colour should be bright, or there should be thick black horizontal stripes on a white or very light blue background. Given our weather and perennial paucity of funds, the pants should be short, and the tailoring (manufacturing) should also be done in-house. The footwear should be plastic slippers, unless the sentence of ‘hard labour’ necessitates the use of protective footwear or water boots during whatever assignment is being undertaken.

We need to definitively distinguish prison life from freedom. Many inmates are treated with respect by other inmates because of the ferocity of the crimes for which they were convicted. Nuff big ups and respek goes on behind prison walls. Some nicknames portray the crime. For example, someone who brutally murdered and beheaded another human being may be called “headless”!

Convicted violent criminals usually disappear behind huge walls, lead ‘prison lives’ for a while, and are absorbed into an environment that parallels free society … but with some restrictions. Most reappear unchanged and unrepentant. They are perceived as surviving, overcoming, beating the system. If there is any possibility of parole, a part of the sentencing guidelines for perpetrators convicted of serious crimes should include showing contrition publicly. It would shatter that tough guy, prison survivor image and be a deterrent to others of their ilk.

RECIDIVISM

Jamaica has a recidivism rate of 40 per cent. The Ministry of National Security is, “… working to strengthen the prison rehabilitation programme, in order to reduce the number of reoffenders”. State Minister of National Security Zavia Mayne said, “We want to ensure that when persons come within the correctional facilities, they are so rehabilitated, that when they exit the facilities, we want to put them in a position where they do not go on to further a life of criminality, but that they can fit into society as productive members.”

Besides making the rehabilitation programmes compulsory in accordance with the renaming of our prisons as rehabilitation centres, there must be concomitant rehabilitation of the environments into which ex-convicts will be released. It is of little use reforming someone, giving them skills and then dropping them right back into the same environment that marginalised them and facilitated them becoming violent criminals in the first place. Rehabilitation cannot be confined to individuals; it must extend to their communities … or else.

I knew of a young man who was given a custodial sentence for wounding. When he was released from prison, he did his best to stay out of trouble, but he returned to his community because he had nowhere else to go. The individual who he wronged fired several shots at him, but missed. He escaped injury but felt compelled to defend himself. Consequently, he killed his would-be assailant. Naturally, it did not take long for others to kill him and several of his siblings.

We can’t dissociate the incarcerated from the rest of society. Therefore, we must improve our society if we are to realistically rehabilitate our incarcerated. The two are inextricably interconnected.

- Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com