Prison says visits are part of rehab goals

(CNS): In an effort to help inmates at HMP Northward either rebuild or build on existing healthy relationships with family and friends while serving their sentences prison, authorities have made improvements to the visitor experience. As part of the entire management of offenders and the rehabilitation process, the visitors' room has been renovated and redesigned to give prisoners more privacy with their loved ones when they visit at weekends. Some 300 visitors pass through the visiting room and prison officials said the enhancements were more conducive to promoting the healthy relationships that prisoners will need to start their crime free lives on release.

Late last month, Tom Hines of the Governor’s Office and the Deputy Chief Officer Corrections and Rehabilitation Kathryn Dinspel-Powell assisted prison officials in refurbishing and repainting the Visitors’ Hall at no cost to government.

The Acting Prison Deputy Director, Natalie Aduke Joseph-Caesar, explained the importance of relationships to the rehabilitation process. “The ‘end-to-end’ management of offenders being implemented is the new way of operating and is based on research that demonstrates re-offending can be reduced by helping offenders to deal with factors such as homelessness, drug addiction, maintaining family contact and unemployment, and other issues.”

She explained, in a release from government that HMCIPS is using a “seven pathways to reduce re-offending” in the provision of services to offenders.

“One pathway is to help them maintain strong relationships with families and children, which can play a major role in enabling prisoners to make and sustain changes that help them to avoid re-offending. This is often difficult because incarceration places added strains on family relationships,” Aduke Joseph-Caesar added.

New chairs and prison-made tables have replaced the long common table that limited opportunities for privacy and individual communication.

Acting Prison Director Daniel Greaves said inmates had been very receptive and appreciative of the recent improvements. “This new ambiance fosters a stronger family connection and creates a feeling of optimism – which in turn assists greatly with the inmates’ rehabilitation and re-entry into society. It places them in a better frame of mind for family life and communications.”

The revitalized room now includes a book corner where children can read with parents as well as more colourful surroundings – including artwork by inmates and prison officers.  A waiting room was established at the prison several years ago and there is a small garden, where visitors can view the latest crops of tomatoes and cabbage grown by the inmates.

While the new room creates a more pleasant fact-to-face experience for those visiting their loved ones who are in prison, officials said there are no provisions for conjugal visits at the prison institutions. However, special unsupervised home visits of a few hours are allowed periodically based on inmates’ ranking, privileges earned and other factors.

Meanwhile, the few female prisoners incarcerated at Fairbanks Prison in George Town are visited at that facility.