Friday, November 20 – It was a day of rewards and recognition yesterday at Her Majesty’s Prison as inmates who participated in two of the prisons rehabilitative programmes, Life Skills and Alpha for Prisons, were awarded certificates of completion.
In his remarks at the ceremony Acting Superintendent of Prison Mr. Leslie MacMaster told the gathering that the Life Skills programme began as an Anger Management course, which was very much needed, but the programme was then broadened to include other areas. Mr. MacMaster explained that the Alpha for Prison programme is another rehabilitation programme which focuses on getting inmates involved in Christian education.
“Together these programmes have been geared to give inmates additional insight into their lives and to help them in the re-integration into the community once they have been released from this institution,” Mr. MacMaster said.
Permanent Secretary Mrs. Sheila Brathwaite said she is pleased with the introduction of the Apha for Prisons Programme. “I am very glad that the inmates have also benefitted greatly from the Life Skills Programme,” she said.
Mrs. Brathwaite also encouraged the inmates to find their purpose in life. “Try to find what your purpose is and try to fulfil it so that when you leave this institution you would be able to contribute to society in a better way,” she added.
Head of Gender Affairs and facilitator of the Life Skills Programme Mrs. Patricia Hackett said most of the topics presented in the course sparked some intense debates which she described as very gratifying. “It was gratifying to see the inmates so encouraged and I myself was very encouraged to see the way they embraced and discussed the subject; they sounded like scholars,” she said.
The guests and officials at the ceremony were pleased when inmate Robert Thomas, who described himself as someone who was very angry, rendered his testimony as a participant of both programmes. “Every time I attended the Life Skills Programme it taught me something new which I can carry on to the future and I am looking forward to continuing to behave myself in a respectable way,” he said.
He added, “The old Robert no longer exists. I am the same person physically but mentally I am a whole new person and I am looking forward to continuing to be positive and to take part in future programmes as this will make me a better person.”
Counsellor of HM Prison Reverend Selwyn L. Vanterpool said one of the aims of institution is to be an agent of healing, rehabilitation and reformation. “The testimony given underlines the fact that programmes such as these and individual counselling do make a difference in the lives of inmates,” he said.
Reverend Vanterpool said even though there is a lot of work to be done at the prison they are willing and firmly committed to moving the rehabilitative programmes from “Good to Great” in keeping with the theme/motto of the Ministry of Education and Culture which has responsibility for prisons. He also announced that they will embark on two new programmes, one for youth offenders which is based on the book “Power Source” and the other for adult inmates based on the book “House of Healing: A Prisoner’s Guide to Inner Power and Freedom”. Both books were written by Robin Carsarjian.
The Alpha course began this year with an enrolment of 25 inmates, 17 of whom were awarded certificates. The Life Skills Programme was initially introduced in 2003 and reinstated in 2008. Of the 20 inmates who enrolled in the programme, 14 received certificates. They dealt with four main areas communications, gender awareness; sex and sexuality; and anger, power and violence.
British Virgin Islands News