Wagner Youth Facility opens at prison
The younger inmates at the Hattieville Prison now have a separate space with a little more freedom, courtesy of an American couple and several Belizean families who have taken an interest in their welfare. Patrick Jones was on hand for the official opening.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
“It’s a vast improvement from as recent as a couple years ago when both hardened criminals and youths and first offenders were kept in the same general area of the Hattieville prison. But the compassion of a visiting couple from the U.S. state of Wisconsin set in motion a series of events that culminated with the inauguration of the Wagner’s Youth Facility.”
Chairman of the Kolbe Board John Woods says compared to what the Foundation found when they took over eighteen months ago, the improved facilities are already paying dividends.
John Woods, Chairman, Kolbe Foundation
“Those were rough days, those first couple of months. And we were concentrating on getting food, good food, get beds for people to sleep on and improve the general conditions. But after the tour, they were horrified that the youth were being kept in the main facility and that there were senior inmate in with the youths. And they gave me a cheque and they said, please build something separate for them.”
“This is where the sleep at night. We changed the whole thing. It’s more of a dormitory style. These big building behind me, this one here is where they sleep at night, that one is where they would have their activities, their training and stuff during the daytime, and we’re gradually expanding it into there and so that’s why we build this new activities building. But there are no cells in there, it’s just one main gate on the outside and of course the facility building here doesn’t have any bars or gates on it.”
Woods says the absence of cells make it more conducive to rehabilitation for the seventy-four young men, ages thirteen to eighteen, who are kept in the facility.
John Woods
“And these kids are responding so well. They are youth, you know, so we’ll have campfires at night. Brad Pattico came in and did a thing. The Rotarians came up and they did a karaoke night, we really have some good talents in here. And so we are trying to treat them like youths. It’s a vast difference than the main prison. Over there you’re not allowed contact visits. When you visit you visit through a cage type thing. Here, the folks are welcome anytime. They come in, they sit down in the bunk with the kids, they interact because we firmly believe that this family is so important to complete the healing process that we’re trying to do, to get these kids turned around and on the right track.”
And the young men themselves have noticed and appreciated the change. Akeem Tillett is their spokesperson.
Akeem Tillett, Inmate
“It helps youths who I really would and truly want to change. Helps them to get the idea of what life is all about instead of just idling around on the street and maybe stealing people. And for me, my thing that I’ve witnessed is that it helps me a lot especially out of the streets because I thought that I would be living in the streets all my life.
“As an inmate when I first reached to the prison it was totally different from this. It was over in the main population and we were just lying around in bed doing nothing. Maybe just get up eat, talk, watch little TV, and go back to bed. But since they did this, they transfer us over here and it is totally different because each hour we have, each hour is accounted for. If it’s not sports, it’s physical training or do school work, or we do some carpentry, maybe mason, stuff like that you know.”
Prime Minister Said Musa said that since the Kolbe Foundation took over management, there has been a positive transformation of the country’s penal system.
Prime Minister Said Musa
“One thousand inmates, among them a few women, almost all in their prime working life represent a significant loss due to the operating cost of this facility to the government and people. But most of all, it represents a tremendous loss to the individuals themselves and their families. The loss of wasted lives, wasted years, and wasted talents. Because of one or maybe two mistakes places others at risk too, children and families without fathers or breadwinners, and forgotten of squandered portion of the labour force. With the vision of Kolbe, this trend is changing and will no doubt continue to change.”
Richard and Bobbie Wagner, who’s efforts landed the first Wings of Hope plane in Belize twenty years ago and founded the Belize Emergency Response Team, say they were happy to be instruments of change at the prison.
Richard Wagner, Youth Centre Benefactor
“As you get involved with a group of people, it becomes obvious there is certain things that are needed and then we felt no better place to make an investment than into the youth of this country. And so we’re very proud to have been a part of it. And as I say, the name is the Wagners, but it really should be all these dedicated Belizeans that have made this possible. We just feel that we’re just a small part of what’s happened here.”
At the Hattieville Prison, Patrick Jones for News 5.
Richard and Bobbie Wagner donated two hundred thousand dollars to the new facility. Additional donations came from the Singh Family with fifty thousand dollars and the Addingtons of Caye Chapel who gave twenty-eight thousand. Counterpart funding was provided by G.O.B.
