New prison facility focuses on rehabilitation

Don’t let anyone fool you: life at the Belize Central prison is no picnic. It’s overcrowded, understaffed, and woefully lacking in what many of us would consider the basic amenities of human existence. But life at Hattieville is getting better. That assessment comes from the administrators in charge, the employees working there, and most importantly, from the inmates themselves. This morning, as a new educational facility was officially dedicated, the prison gates were opened to the media.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Within the closed confines of the Belize Central Prison, this morning official opening ceremonies were held for new classrooms at the maximum and medium security sections, and a training facility for the jail?s youngest inmates.

Doing the honours today were Bobbie and Dick Wagner who have become financial angels to the prison, donating an estimated five hundred thousand dollars, and counting, towards the institution?s educational and rehabilitation programmes.

According to Chief Executive Officer, Marlon Skeen, the new buildings represent more than just classroom space, promoting some dramatic changes in attitude. Prison statistics indicate that more than half on the tow hundred and fifty-six inmates incarcerated at the max and medium sections are participating in the various literacy and development initiatives. Skeen says that has translated to fewer convicts returning to the jail.

Marlon Skeen, C.E.O., Belize Central Prison
?We started off with between fifty to sixty percent recidivism, that is re-entry. That has come down to about twenty to twenty-five percent now.?

?This success has been largely due to a lot of the efforts we are doing, but primarily more on the inmates? side. We?ve seen a drastic reduction and drop in problems from the inmates. They recognise what we?re doing and they want to become a part of it. For most of them, it?s the first time they?ve ever been in a school environment.?

Skeen says the programmes will be run like a normal school, with a curriculum and scheduled classes.

Marlon Skeen
?We have daylight classroom time, with inmates attending class just like the other schools. We have roll call, we know which inmate should show up at which time. There are different sessions that is set up and we know who should be in them. We also have night classes because we recognise that some of the inmates work and are about and around during the day. So in evening, we have evening classes, which starts around four and go on until about seven, eight, all depending.?

For inmate Brian Wade, introductory courses to computers have opened up a whole new world of possibilities for life on the outside.

Brian Wade, Inmate
?I didn?t even know how to use a computer. Today I can do all kinds of stuff on the computer, use a spreadsheet, go to Microsoft Word, do all kind of Clip Arts and stuff like that. I do things for the prison also, all sorts of things they want me to do. Anything, I do anything.?

Janelle Chanona
?So when you get out of here, what will you do with that skill??

Brian Wade
?Well, I?ll probably change my address, San Pedro, and go somewhere where I can start over again. Cause the society paint you black and they keep you that way. So I need to start over, go somewhere new and try to make use of what I have you know.?

That?s the same story for Wade?s teacher, fellow inmate Toni Pasos. According to the twenty year old, the past ten months behind bars has been a life-changing experience.

Toni Pasos, Computer Teacher, Inmate
?Being here, well I didn?t want to come here, but it seems that it was some part of someone?s plan that I am here. Because if I was still out of road, I do not who I still would be or if I still be hanging on the streets. I believe it?s part of someone?s reason and plan that I am here because I never thought I would be a teacher and I?m proud of myself and that I?m in an education programme as well once again.?

Leslie Pipersburg, Death Row Inmate
?I have some fiction books over here, some Reader?s Digest, some next novels. And then here, some romance novels and some mystery.?

And then there?s Leslie Pipersburg. Today the death row inmate is head librarian, and liking it.

Leslie Pipersburg
?Well first, I mi think the library job dah just wah easy job fi relax and thing right, so I agree fi be the librarian. But after that I find out da nuff work but then I start enjoy it to same way, fu deal with the library. They got lotta users come in, communicate with them and keep things going.?

Janelle Chanona
?How do you feel doing this Leslie??

Leslie Pipersburg
?So far I feel comfortable, cool and calm same way. I just di enjoy it. Nevah expect fi have so much fun the deal with it same way, but dah just that to.?

Marlon Skeen
?This is the sort of thing that makes the programme throughout a success because they get the chance to do something here that they never thought or dreamed they could do. And when they go back out, they know now that they are a better person. They know that they can do things that they dream for and they try to follow that dream outside.?

And tonight officials at the prison are already planning their next project, an Addiction Rehab Centre. With start up money from the Michael Ashcroft Foundation, Skeen says an eight thousand square foot building will be designed as the country?s first national rehabilitation centre.

Marlon Skeen
There are other organisations out there who do provide some kind of rehab, but in our view it?s not quite structured. And I don?t know what measure of success they?ve had, but what we are going to do will certainly be successful because it?s being done wholeheartedly. We are trying to get the experts on board, both local and international, and we want to bring it up to international standards and run it the way a true drug rehabilitation centre should work. And it won?t be just for drugs, it will be alcohol, for any type of addiction.?

According to prison officials, the Wagner Youth Facility and the Max/Medium Vocational Buildings were built using prison labour and materials donated by the Wagners. The total cost of the two structures is estimated at approximately seventy thousand Belize dollars.