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Jamaica needs a new prison, but rehabilitation is a must · Global Voices

Feature image via Canva Pro.

This post was first published by Global Voices contributor Emma Lewis, on her personal blog. An edited version appears below with permission.

Crime (and punishment) is often on the minds of Jamaicans. Speaking of which, one of my favourite authors of all time, Fyodor Dostoevsky — who wrote that book — once said, “The degree of civilisation in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.”

If that is true, then Jamaica has much to account for. On August 11, 2024, a horrible massacre occurred in a place called Cherry Tree Lane. What a pretty place it must be, one might think, but it is now steeped in blood after three armed men shot seven people dead during a birthday celebration, including a seven-year-old boy. Nine others were injured, including a toddler. Further down the road, the men stopped and shot another person in a gathering on the street.

Through the mists of hot air being blown around during the week or two after the killings, the question of a new prison gradually emerged — and not for the first time. Why was that? Because police asserted that the mass killing was orchestrated by someone from behind the prison walls in collaboration with overseas interests.

There is the perennial issue of corruption in the prisons, which confronts us time and again but is continuously papered over. It is one of many elephants in the room that Jamaicans would really rather ignore because it is too uncomfortable to confront, especially in a small space.

Essentially, prisoners pay for privileges, and various items, including cell phones, are smuggled in. It appears that, over the years, little has been done to prevent this, even though the activities of some prisoners are said to result in the deaths of others outside prison walls. “Hits” are ordered. One prison warden, discussing these alleged “hits,” said that they’re “not just coming from the low down, the low foot of people, [they’re] coming from the high horses, too.” Not much has been done to address all this.

The issue of a new prison first came up in 2015, when then British Prime Minister David Cameron paid a quite controversial visit to Jamaica. He proposed that his government would build a lovely new prison to accommodate the Jamaicans who were taking up space in his own prison back home and who would be deported at the end of their sentences, anyway.

The idea did not sit well with many Jamaicans, even though Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaica’s prime minister at the time, seemed to be considering it. If a memorandum of understanding had been signed at the time, it’s likely been torn up by now. Meanwhile, although our current political administration acknowledges the need for a new prison, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has suggested that there are not enough funds in the kitty for such a major project. Perhaps we should have taken Mr. Cameron up on his offer after all.

So, I feel compelled to write about the current state of our prisons. It’s not a particularly cheerful story. A passing glance at the Tower Street penitentiary in Kingston reveals a gloomy, tottering red brick edifice bristling with barbed wire and guard towers, sitting a stone’s throw from Kingston Harbour’s somewhat murky waters.

Most of us don’t look at it, focusing instead on the high rises of downtown Kingston. I suspect, sadly, many Jamaicans are not particularly concerned about what goes on within those prison walls or who is incarcerated therein (unless they happen to be a dancehall star). As Carla Gullotta, CEO of the human rights group Stand Up For Jamaica (SUFJ) pointed out, people generally “don’t have sympathy for those in conflict with the law, because Jamaica is an aggressive society.” The prevailing attitude is that wrongdoers must be locked up and the key thrown away.

Prisons don’t have to be pretty places, just functional. They must be secure; that is clear and obvious. Tower Street Adult Correctional Facility was built to accommodate not more than 800 prisoners but now holds at least 1,700.

For SUFJ, however, a modern equivalent of the grim Tower Street building is not the way to go; any new prison must be designed with rehabilitation in mind. They should know; the organisation does a lot of work in the prison system and, despite challenges to some of its findings by Jamaica’s Department of Correctional Services, has enlisted the department’s help to establish rehabilitation as the best avenue to engage inmates.

Currently, access to educational opportunities behind bars is extremely limited. So much more could be done, as prison conditions are appalling, well below international standards.

As SUFJ’s Gullotta noted in a recent television interview, “Prisoners do not even have the space to lie down in a cell.” The infrastructure, she observed, “is falling apart.” After recent earthquakes, some parts of Jamaica’s Tower Street and St. Catherine prisons were closed after being deemed unsafe, increasing the overcrowding.

But, let’s face it: prisons have never been a priority, whether it’s improving the current dreadful conditions, rehabilitation, or building new facilities. This sounds more like kicking the can down the road. The topic is already dropping out of the media radar. Again.

The question remains: Can we afford not to build a new prison?

Source: Jamaica needs a new prison, but rehabilitation is a must · Global Voices

Republican former election clerk jailed for nine years over voter interference | US voting rights | The Guardian

Tina Peters allowed a man affiliated with the pillow salesman and election-lie trafficker Mike Lindell to misuse a security card to access the Mesa county election system.

Tina Peters listens during her trial in Grand Junction, Colorado, on 3 March 2023.
Ex-Colorado clerk Tina Peters found guilty in election machine breach case

Jurors found Peters guilty in August, convicting her of seven counts related to misconduct, conspiracy and impersonation, four of which were felony charges.

Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced her on Thursday. Peters had argued for probation. Barrett, in delivering his sentence, said it was clear Peters had not shown remorse for her actions.

Barrett called out Peters for being “as defiant as a defendant that the court has ever seen” and said he believed Peters would do it all over again if she could. He accused her of seeking fame, despite her claims that she didn’t want attention for her actions.

He said she didn’t respect the courts, law enforcement, government officials or her colleagues, and had abused the power of her position. She didn’t take the clerk role “particularly seriously”, he said, noting she hadn’t completed certification, and that “one scandal after another followed you in your time as the clerk.”

Source: Republican former election clerk jailed for nine years over voter interference | US voting rights | The Guardian

Finding Your Own Key: A Journey to Self-Awareness – Saania’s diary – reflections, learnings, sparkles

As young people, we are exposed to so much knowledge. Self-help books, podcasts, audiobooks, advice from adults, even TikTok therapists who seem to know it all! But we don’t necessarily know which one to follow. What works for others may not work for you. Like maybe you’re simply not ready to wake up at 5 AM to ‘seize the day’! Trust me, I thought I could be one of those people. I even tried waking up that early to hit the gym—yeah, never again!

Back in highschool, I would struggle with teenage emotions like social anxiety and fear of making friends. I devoured books after books promising to make me cool and more confident—spoiler alert: it didn’t quite work. Later, a counselor I met told me many things but if there is one thing I took away from our Monday morning chats was something she told me: “Your social anxiety is like a locked door, and the key to unlocking it is already inside you.” Cue dramatic music. That’s when I realized I had to go on a journey of self-discovery…

Just last week, I got to chat about some of these concepts from my book, Teenage Chronicles, with students at Curtin University Dubai. We laughed about how we all turn into human volcanoes when we’re angry or green-eyed monsters when we’re jealous. But through mindfulness & meditation, reflecting,  journaling, introspecting, and observing, gaining even little sparks of self-awareness is all we need to feel more in control of our emotions and life’s roller coaster moments.

For example, when you’re angry, it helps to stop and ask: What’s really setting me off? Is it feeling misunderstood? Lack of control? Too much pressure? Or when anxiety hits—could it be fear of judgment, the pressure to succeed, or the gut-wrenching dread  of change? Asking these questions doesn’t make the feelings disappear, but it gives us some power over how we respond. In the words of Aristotle, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom!”

Snapshots of the event, loved giving my speech to such a sweet crowd!

 

-SaaniaSparkle 🧚‍♀️

 

Source: Finding Your Own Key: A Journey to Self-Awareness – Saania’s diary – reflections, learnings, sparkles

Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing | snapshotsincursive

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing! What is it about ranch dressing that practically makes you slurp it with a straw? Ever dip raw veggies in it? Of course. Did you know if you add taco seasoning to ranch dressing, it becomes a popular “Calypso Dressing” at a Mexican cantina? Try dipping tortilla chips in that sometime. Ahhh, you wondered how they did that. One of my favorite concoctions is crumbled bleu cheese. Talk about that briny earthy zing of saltiness. Oh, yum.

HOMEMADE BLEU CHESE DRESSING

Ingredients:

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix

1 cup bleu cheese crumbles

Instructions:

Combine Greek yogurt and mayonnaise. Stir until smooth. Add packet of Ranch dressing mix. Blend well. Fold in bleu cheese crumbles. Refrigerate for one hour. Drizzle over salads, vegetables, chips, cheese sticks, French fries, pizza, or meats. Store leftovers (if any) in refrigerator for one week.

Source: Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing | snapshotsincursive