Superintendent of Prisons calls for post-prison check ups

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WHILE various rehabilitation programmers are being conducted in Her Majesty’s Prison, a call is being made for a follow-up programme to be instituted for those inmates who would have completed their sentence and are back in society.

The call was made by Superintendent of Prisons Franklyn Dorset, who recently sat on a panel to discuss issues relative to crime, imprisonment and life after prison. The discussion followed a monologue presentation made by Loughlin Tatem.

Dorset noted that while at the prison, inmates are exposed to a number of activities designed to provide some form of rehabilitation. This rehabilitation, he says, would prove instrumental in preparing the inmates to rejoin society as productive members of the collective. 

“A few years ago, when I joined the prison system, we were able to have a lot of training programmes in place…We also used to have some skilled programmes in carpentry, joinery, small engine repairs, art and sign painting. We now have counsellors. We have on staff a psychologist/counsellor who usually speaks to these young people. In the event that they need any psychiatric help, we have a psychiatrist who is attached to the system.    ~~Adz:Right~~

“Most of the senior staff would do a lot of counselling on our own. Myself, along with the senior staff, would go out and encourage relationships (so) even if the person gets six years or 10 years, we would have the parents come in and sit down and talk so that they can maintain that family link to ensure or to show the inmate that there is family upon discharge. You commit a crime, you’re sentenced to do time and after the time is finished, you have family to support you. We try to encourage that. Some people don’t bother with us, but we do as much as we can.”

The Prison Superintendent noted that “most of the problems we have are not so much inside the prison”, but rather transpire after persons are released from there.

He declared that the absence of a post-prison programme aids in breeding repeat offenders.
 
“Most of the problems we have are not so much inside the prison...We provide the necessary training inside the prison (but) we don’t have to follow-up or aftercare programme in place. We do not have anybody looking after young prisoners when they are discharged. Sometimes, not even their parents come to see them so they fall back into society with their peers; the friends who are criminally-minded, and that is the easiest way.”

In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Dorset committed to providing assistance to any person or organisation dedicated to providing “follow-up or aftercare” services to ex-inmates.

“It’s not really our responsibility but we are willing and prepared to give assistance to any person or organisation that is committed to providing aftercare service or developing an aftercare programme for persons who are released from jail back into society.”