My Day at the Dominica State Prison – A positive spin! Today - TopicsExpress



          

My Day at the Dominica State Prison – A positive spin! Today I had the most profound opportunity to make a contribution to a positive initiative taking place at the Dominica State Prison. When we think of prison, we think of a place where individuals who have committed crimes go to await trial or where convicted criminals are housed. Today I must admit that I saw things differently during my entire day spent there. A couple of weeks ago Prison Officer Alvin Auguiste and his female counterpart Zilma Mility approached me to be part of the A Garner Alliance program at the prison. The purpose of the A Garner Alliance is to help at-risk youth throughout Latin America & the Caribbean, develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to find positive engagements in their communities via employment, entrepreneurship or a return to formal education. Dominica is the first country in the region to introduce a version of the program at the Dominica State Prison. And so, today, myself and Cecil Joseph were tasked with the duty of conducting mock interviews with nineteen inmates under the age of 25 in preparation for the working world when they are released from incarceration. From 9:30am we began, and one by one they came in…convicted murderers, drug dealers, repeat offenders…just name it and they had done it. However, I didn’t see them for the crimes they had committed, but I saw young men who had made mistakes, young men who were abused & abandoned and young men who are begging for a second chance at life and the will to succeed. There were high school graduates with as much as 6 CXC subjects, prospective architects, expert fishermen, skilled laborers and more. We came to conduct mock interviews, but we ended up listening to stories of young men who had very hard life experiences which at times even brought me to tears. We gave advice, encouragement and even counseled in some cases….after all, they may have committed crimes and are paying their time as they should….but they are also human beings and must be treated accordingly. I really want to encourage Prison Superintendent Blanc, Mr. Auguiste & the rest of the team at the DSP for introducing this type of prison reform. I wish all the young men well and I must admit that I am very grateful for the experience to see things from a different perspective. I intend to continue supporting the A Garner Alliance program at the Dominica State Prison and wish them success with the results. Maybe you too can support in some way.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:50:20 +0000

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