Literacy and training key to positive change in inmates, says superintendent

As part of the drive to prioritize rehabilitation, Superintendent Jeffrey Edmond says that the Dominica State Prison continues to offer opportunities for literacy via Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) courses for its inmates, amongst other trainings.

 Currently, 14 inmates are engaged in Social studies and English classes and are expected to write the CSEC exams in June, shared Edmond at a recent Ministry of National Security and Legal Affairs press conference.

“In line with our commitment to promoting literacy and education among inmates, we have launched a literacy program tailored to meet the diverse learning needs of individuals within our facility,” he explained.  “This program seeks to enhance literacy skills,  foster a love for reading,  and support personal growth and development.  This is in collaboration with the  adult education department.”

Furthermore, he said a building maintenance module was conducted in partnership with the Youth Division, with a total of nine inmates benefiting from this module.

“Some 32 inmates and two officers also benefited from a candle and soap-making workshop,” Edmond revealed. “This workshop is one that we hope to continue in the future.”

He also mentioned a collaboration with the  Agricultural Station in Portsmouth to implement a farm rehabilitation program within the prison.

“We have received tools,  equipment,  and seedlings under this program,” Edmond revealed. “Inmates are given the opportunity to engage in farm learning, they learn valuable skills related to farming and horticulture,  and they learn to contribute to sustainable practices within the prison environment.”

He continued, “We have seen increased yields in dasheen, plantain,  [and] vegetables,  of which  we’ve used for the consumption of the prison inmates.”

Edmond asserted that the ultimate goal is to assist the Grotto Home for the Homeless, and the Dominica Infirmary with vegetables and other provisions.

He went on to add that these initiatives underscore the prison’s dedication to providing inmates with the necessary tools, resources,  and support to facilitate their rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society.

“By offering educational programs, vocational training, and practical skills-development programs, we aim to empower individuals to make positive change in their lives and to build brighter futures post-incarceration,” he noted.

He concluded, “I would like to take this opportunity to encourage the general public [that] when those inmates leave our shores,  they should be encouraged to engage in meaningful work and not discouraged,  and not set aside because what we find happening a lot of times is ex-convicts go and look for jobs, and they are castigated because they were in prison. We cannot develop a society by doing that.”