Prison heads meet to discuss prisons
Advisor to Caribbean prisons Nicholas Brooke said that transforming prisons into correctional facilities is not a difficult task.{{more}}
Brooke taking time out from the Association of Caribbean Heads of Corrections and Prison Services (ACHCPS) conference, told SEARCHLIGHT that all that is required to make the transformation possible is persons with good hearts and spirit, along with hard working directors, superintendents and commissioners.
The heads of 19 Caribbean states gathered at the Sunset Shores this week where they discussed the transformation of prisons to correctional facilities and underwent training by Autry Graham of the United Kingdom.
Brooke, who indicated that prisons were originally designed to keep people in custody away from society, said that correction facilities recognize that the punishment is the sentence, and that the facilitators should use the sentence to provide the opportunity for training, reform and rehabilitation.
The prison heads heard addresses from local superintendent of prisons Eric Rodriguez, British High Commissioner Sandra Tyler Haywood and national Security Advisor Sir Vincent Beache.
Among the topics dealt with at the five day conference, were the resettlement of former prisoners into society and the proper staffing of prisons and correctional facilities.
Brooke added that moving from a prison to a correctional facility depends greatly on the way people think, and the only way progress could be made is when groups such as the one assembled this week meet, and problems and solutions are discussed. (JJ)
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