Liberating former inmates
May 7, 2008, 10:16

BY PRASHILA DEVI
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION


Fiji, it will appear, has a long way to go in understanding and helping former prisoners to successfully re-integrate into society where they could try to build a better future for themselves and their families. Over recent years, prison and court statistics indicate that the level of repeat offenders is alarmingly high and it is widely accepted that the reason is because society’s attitude has created a second prison for former inmates. This is exactly what the Commissioner of Prisons, Brigadier Iowane Naivalurua and his wardens hope to undo.

Brigadier Iowane Naivalurua, appointed to take over the leadership of Fiji’s Prison Service over a year ago, believes the best security for society is for former inmates to be successfully re-integrated into the community. He also believes that prisoners need a second chance in life to prove their worth. In taking this view, Brigadier Naivalurua could be said to subscribe to one of renowned freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi’s many philosophical adages: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Unfortunately, the essence of this philosophy does not penetrate Fiji’s prison walls as society puts up barricades which in turn stigmatises those behind it. This feeling is fuelled by what convicts face when they return home seeking a second chance but are instead imprisoned by a second prison. Even after convicts have done their time, their sentence is still not over, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Brigadier Naivalurua says what society creates for these men and women who are eager to integrate literally puts them into a second prison. He adds that acceptance, forgiveness and giving them a second chance can transform their lives and their families.

“All it takes is an open mind and a willingness to look beyond their past to help unlock their second prison,” Brigadier Naivalurua said.

With this in mind, the Prisons Commissioner has introduced certain programmes that will prepare the inmates for the job market and also motivate a change in occupation – from a life of crime to decent and upstanding citizens.

The catchword is rehabilitation or rehab, which has worked wonders in the lives of many who have taken the challenge and Brigadier Naivalurua has been a great advocate of this option since taking up office.

He said this life-changing exercise to accommodate the change in the Prisons Correctional Act, which was amended in 2006, has shifted the focus of the prisons from one of containment to that of correction. Prison authorities are therefore required by law to implement rehabilitation programmes.

However, Brigadier Naivalurua points out that offenders must be held in custody for the crime they committed.

“The focus of the operations and what we’re required to do by law is to make sure that while they’re in our custody, we’re able to help change their offending behaviour and make them better and when they eventually re-enter society they are a better person from when they entered prison,” he said.

The legislation is being implemented in phases to allow the prisons facilities to comply with the requirements and Brigadier Naivalurua hopes to have the resources and support to realise this within five years.

“Rehabilitation programmes are intended to try and identify what brought this person into prison and how we can change that so that he becomes a better person,” he said.

The programmes are to run in all of Fiji’s 13 prisons. Some visible rehab programmes include inmates attending family member’s funerals and their inclusion in national events. These depend on an inmate’s background or abilities but spiritual development is compulsory for everyone. Others include vocational courses like the farming rehabilitation programme which incorporates vegetables, root crops, broiler farming, piggery, layer eggs and cattle farming.

Rehab programmes even cater for those who have a flair for the arts with the introduction of a new course; Arts and Pottery. One conducted recently by a volunteer lecturer from the University of the South Pacific allows prisoners with artistic skills to freely express themselves.

Brigadier Naivalurua says the walls of Korovou Prison bear witness to the type of talents within them. “We’re amazed to hear from the course coordinator that the results she sees from within the prison walls are much better than the results from uni,” a proud Brigadier Naivalurua highlights.

But the Commissioner says that all their hard work comes to naught when ex-prisoners re-enter a society that refuses to accept that they have wronged, have paid the price for their mistakes and that they desperately wish to move on with life.

A sad but glaring example is that most inmates are not visited in prison and this could lead to most of them feeling demoralised.

“Examples like this, little and insignificant they might look, could unravel the effort and hard work that we’ve done to help prisoners turn a new leaf,” he said.

The Commissioner adds that they have other programmes such as the civic pride programme where prisoners go out and work in the community but they increasingly have to deal with society’s suspicious attitude towards them.

“So the focus is to try and get back and tell society that these are fellow human beings, please come on-board and be part of this programme and try to help them change to be a better mother, a better father and a better part of society,” Brigadier Naivalurua said.

Rehabilitation is not about providing a person with the necessary skills to survive the harsh realities of life but about finding the good in the person and working on that redeeming quality in the human spirit.

“We believe the inside of a human being is very important and that we should try and see beyond his physical body,” Brigadier Naivalurua said. “And if you can get through that in a spiritual way, it is one means of trying to change that.”

He said to some, the success or otherwise of their rehab programmes could be measured by the rate of recidivism. Recidivism is when a person re-offends and is brought back to jail, a familiar scene in Fiji’s prison system. A day in court will show that almost three quarters of the offenders have previous convictions.

Brigadier Naivalurua says whether the rehab programmes are working, resulting in the lower number of re-offenders, remains to be seen but they are being reviewed to check for their effectiveness.

On the other hand, the lack of success could also be attributed to the way society fails to help the person re-integrate, he says.

He adds this is where the family, relatives, friends, the church, the vanua and other organisations help them adjust rather than shunning them as is the norm.

In many cases these groups of people wash their hands off, leaving the person with no choice but to re-enter the cycle of crime. “This is where the gap exists,” he said.

“Who do I hand over to? Is it to the family, the relative, to the church, vanua or any other organisation but if they were not there when they (prisoner) were inside then sure enough these guys are bound to go back the way they were before,” he explains.
A prisoner, he says, needs the most help when he is incarcerated, needs the moral support and love when inside prison.

“And let me also assure society that the rehabilitation is not a shock approach. It is the right and best approach when we care and try to change people. Being accepted back is part of the rehabilitation programme,” he adds.

Of course, it goes without saying that many see crime as the easy way out of social ills like unemployment.

The Prisons Department has seen that youths or first time offenders are not influenced negatively by mixing with the “hardened” criminals thus has kept offenders below 23 years in a separate facility in Nasinu. While the department does not have a specific tailor-made programme for the youths, Brigadier Naiuvalurua says the separate facilities ensure they “do not graduate to higher classes in prison” so this ensures to some degree that they return normal to society.

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