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July 12, 2007

My Day Job

When most people think of Jamaica, they usually think Bob Marley, Reggae, tourist resorts, dreadlocks, and bobsledding--in other words, a pretty relaxing time. Most people visiting Jamaica go to Negril or Montego Bay (Mo-Bay) in the west, and Ocho Rios in the north, where tourism flourishes. Most people don't think "Hey, I could work in some maximum-security prisons in Kingston!"

Well...I'm not most people.

Kingston, the capital of Jamaica and its largest city, is often described as a rough-and-ready (but exciting, the guidebooks are always quick to point out) city. In the 1970s, violence ripped the city apart as the two major political parties (Jamaican Labor Party and People's National Party) encouraged and even funded local ghetto violence in the scramble for votes. In those days, wearing JLP Green in a PNP zone or drinking PNP Red Stripe in a JLP garrison was reason enough for a shooting. Michael Manley, the prime minister at the time, declared a state of emergency and set up a non-jury Gun Court, where extremely harsh anti-crime legislation was carried out, often inaccurately and without sufficient evidence. The violence calmed down a bit, but flared up again in the 80s.

These days, it's not so bad. Most areas of Kingston (especially the commercially-active and upper-class New Kingston) are relatively safe from the violence that had washed over the city just two decades ago, though it's still not a good idea to walk around at night alone. The Gun Court has since been remade into a medium-security prison (I do work in there, in fact!), and all the colors of the rainbow are safe again, as long as you don't wear them to the opposition's rally.


However, the crime boom left a lasting legacy in the culture and society of Jamaica that continues to cause problems. It also left the prisons of Jamaica bursting at the seams--Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, formerly known as the General Penitentiary, currently houses 1700 inmates in a facility designed for 800. What's more, the system has traditionally had a remarkably high recidivism rate--half of all inmates who are released will return to the prison system--and many inmates enter this cycle as juvenile offenders. Combine these facts with the high number of inmates who are also parents (and therefore not at home teaching good values to their kids), and we get a dangerous cycle that continually touches large parts of Jamaican society.

Rehabilitation programs in the prisons have had mixed success. The Department of Correctional Services itself is overly crowded, understaffed, and too tied to the government for drastic changes, so most rehabilitation efforts have come from outside groups. Most of the programs that had shown promise closed down when something or other went awry--an escaped inmate, officer disagreement, and lack of sustainability. My boss, Kevin Wallen, told me these stories, and he tries to make sure that history won't repeat itself with Students Expressing Truth.

Students Expressing Truth is a really unique program. First of all, it is inmate-driven, meaning that the inmates really take charge of their own transformations and are expected to be able to run the program even in the absence of outside help. Secondly, it pays special attention to the difficulties an inmate faces in reintegrating into society and facilitates the process by building up an alumni network that is willing to give the newly released inmate a place to stay and by teaching employable skills as part of the curriculum--in addition to traditional courses like Math and History. Lastly, the program is non-governmental. Though that occasionally means fewer resources and less clout, this item is important because it ensures the program will not be in danger of being discontinued the next time power is transferred from one political party to the other.

In my next post, I'll write about what a typical prison-visiting day is like!