Eight inmates at the Dominica State Prison are preparing to write the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations this year.
Acting Superintendent of the Dominica State Prison, Kenrick Jean-Jacques, gave that information during a press conference on Friday.
“We have eight students who will write the Language and Principles of Business,” he revealed. “Last year we did only English but this year we are doing two subjects.”
According to Jean-Jacques, in terms of rehabilitation for the inmates, there are a number of programmes in place, including wood work training, among others.
He said currently, there is a prison population of 193 males and 1 female.
“And our mandate is to assist the inmates, when they leave our facility to be more productive and useful citizens and we take that very seriously in terms of our rehabilitation programmes,” Jean-Jacques stated.
He said 2018 was a very challenging year for the state prison because of the significant damage that had been done to the facility by Hurricane Maria in 2017 although some repairs had been undertaken.
“Right after Maria we decided to take on the opportunity of building back our facility,” he noted.
Jean- Jacques went on to say that all the lights on the perimeter were out and to-date, 75 percent of the lighting has been installed.
“We were able to repair our playing court; inmates are able to recreate,” he explained.
He stated further that the facility was able to secure some much needed equipment.
“We got some equipment from the European Union; we got some sewing machines and some tools that are being used in our workshop,” he said.
Jean-Jacques also disclosed that more toilets have been received for installation in the remand section of the facility as those that are now in place are not “prison friendly.”
There’s also been some improvement in the meals, Jean-Jacques said, ensuring that prisoners have a balanced diet.
I believe that the prison system serves to either correct behaviors that opposed the laws that govern the land and either release the people based on a light sentence or remain in prison for “lifetime”. I applaud the prison system for trying to educate and hopefully reform. Eight (8) prisoners may seem minuit but can be impactful in our society with the right resources. The stigma associated along with a close-knit society makes reentering into the society difficult. With that being understood, the private and public sector need to work on a program to employ these people. The most difficult conversation is the frustration of unemployment and being ridiculed for making passed mistakes. Employment for past inmate means a contributing member of society and with any facet of society, there will be outliers that don’t deserve to be reinstated back to society.
Love one another as yourself. Blessed love my Dominica People
As dyslexia is high with prison inmates (on average 40%) it would be good to include creative subjects. Those of us that are blessed with dyslexia are visually orientated.
Very good news. But what good will it do if they can’t get a job because they have a criminal past. Employers should be prevented from including that question on job applications because released inmates have already paid their debt to society.
That is silly. You mean an employer can not check with the police if the applicant has a criminal record? Have a reality check
my boy.
Trying to conceal that, especially in a small society, seems pretty futile. Better to try to educate employers, and the rest of society, so that they understand that a human being shouldn’t be defined for life by their worst mistake.
Employers should always asked on an application if you have a criminal record when seeking employment.
This is wonderful news! Anyone can make a mistake and with a good opposing lawyer end up in jail. I am so happy that these men and one woman are given the opportunity to develop a skill and get educated at the CSEC level so after they serve their time they can seek gainful employment to help themselves remain on the straight and narrow. I hope the prison officers and superintendent write letters of recommendations for them, and go as far as calling the potential employer (to verify the character of the ex-con) as I trust it can’t be easy getting a job once you’ve been convicted of a crime, no matter how petty the crime may be.
Interesting to know our criminals now getting educated so they can join the other professionals.
Them Man Life Looking Sweet Up There Wi Pal….