For approximately four hours on Wednesday, however, I voluntarily exposed myself to a sample of life in the big yard. The appellation Ramada has become an acceptable euphemism for this institution but I don’t know; how then do we refer to hell, as Biltmore? More on deplorable conditions later.

Books like the Count of Monte Christo and the biblical story of John the Baptist being thrown into prison would of course, seem to suggest that the practice of doing time for a crime has been around for a long time but while slaves, prisoners of war and personal or political enemies of a ruler would have been subject to confinement, this loss of liberty was almost always just a preliminary to the appropriate punishment: a fine, a flogging, banishment or execution. But according to Roman law, which governed most of the so-called first world of civilization, imprisonment of a citizen even by the state was forbidden and it was not actually until the early nineteenth century AD, that confinement became conventionally a means of punishment.

At first, the penal institutions, which were created as a result of this change in charter, were geared strictly toward punishing offenders of the law. This was of course done through methods of custody and control but in more recent times it has become more and more apparent, that we in fact waste time, money and human resource unless we implement some sort of treatment and rehabilitation into the process of incarceration. To just return into society, the same element that is removed sets the stage for a vicious cycle and in fact, reliable statistics reveal that of every ten persons who go to prison, as many as seven will likely return and some in as little as three months time.

With this in mind, a dream team of a different kind comprised of retired Brigadier General Earl Arthurs, Superintendent of Prisons Bernard Adolphus, Wayne Moody and Nuri Muhammad have been given the unenviable task of revamping the status quo. The task is momentous and will no doubt be quite expensive. And considering what low priority the penal system is usually given, we can understand the dream team’s pursuance of financial autonomy.

My visit on Wednesday was to attend the launching of a new magazine which the department hopes will not only raise money but also raise public awareness and sensitivity to the plight of a corrections department which is expected to do wonders on a relatively mauger budget. “Sankufa” is a well put together publication and features articles and poems by volunteers, employees and inmates of the correction department. Your patronage will not only reward you with informative reading, which by itself is well worth the five dollar cost, but will also offer the satisfaction of knowing that you have, if even in a small way contributed to the alleviation of a serious social ill.

After the formalities of the launching ceremony, I joined a group of four other visitors who accepted the invitation to a tour into the belly of the beast. I must say that, as a result of that tour I have become infinitely more appreciative of my freedom. Cells that were built to accommodate no more than four persons are being occupied by upwards of eight and few have any running water or toilet facilities. Many cells have no windows and those that have, the panes are mostly missing. The yard is more swampy than dry and for a fairly new prison, one, which has in fact only been in existence since late 1993, this is appalling. Recreation, which is considered an integral part of any rehabilitation, is scanty to say the least and the only semblance of such is a makeshift basketball court, which is right in the middle of a swamp and with the slightest rain is covered by at least a foot of water.

The conditions at this facility are downright inhumane and while a prison cannot be expected to offer the full comforts of home, it must at least be remembered, that these inmates are still human beings. I was even more shocked to learn that according to experts who have traveled throughout the Caribbean and Central America, our jail is even considered to be, one of the better ones. We cannot, however, accept this as any consolation and must use all at our disposal to improve conditions for these our fallen comrades.

In an effort to alleviate the problem of overcrowding, a law was recently passed which will allow for the implementation of a parole system. This system has been fairly successful in the U.S. and other countries and granted that the review board is provided with accurate and up to date data on eligible inmates, it should turn out to be a feasible plan. The success of this parole program of course will require a concerted effort on the part of inmates, parole board and officers and in no small part, the community at large. If in fact, a convicted person shows genuine remorse and makes a conscious attempt at rehabilitation, then I do not believe that a second chance is too much to give.

There must, however, be an adequate safety net in place to not only catch those who fall, but to give support and counseling to those who struggle to stay afloat. Many times all that is needed is an attentive ear or a reassuring word, a helping hand or a prod in the right direction. And after all we must remember, that except for the grace of God, there goes any one of us.