FIELD TRIP (Part 2)

"When you get a wound, it leaves a scar."

- Male Prison Inmate of the New Amsterdam Prison, speaking figuratively about wounds of the spirit

On the 18th of July, the students of the Mercy Wings Vocational Centre headed out once again for their yearly field trip to the New Amsterdam Prison. This is a mandatory annual field trip designed to allow the trainees to meet prisoners, hear their personal stories, and learn about the consequences of delinquent behaviour. The idea is that such exposure will make them think twice about pursuing a life of crime or delinquency after graduation from the training centre.

We had the opportunity to meet and ask questions of the Seargent of the compound, one of the Matrons of the Women's prison (the compound is separated into a male and a female division), and five inmates: two men and three women. One of the women was a gospel singer. One was a member of the Prison drama group. One of the men was a poet and recited one of his poems from memory. All of the prisoners stressed that prison was no place to live, and that message came through in their testimonies. However, one convicted thief and former drug user admitted that he felt safer and more sure of survival in prison than "outside", and was a repeat offender. "I wan' an arrest," he said. "de outside world too hard; deh I might die."

More than one prisoner told us that they were innocent of their crimes, but that the case had not come to trial in three, five, seven years, and they were being held until their cases could be tried. One was convicted of murder in self defense. The students, having seen popular movies about life in jail, focused many of their questions on the stereotypes and typical situations that those movies seem to portray. The inmates fielded these questions and brought a level of reality to those fictionalized representations. The students also learned about the importance of rules and obedience within the compound: if they are broken, the inmate can be placed on PD1 (Punishment Diet Number 1), consisting of bread and water served twice a day. There was a Punishment Diet Number 2 in the past, but resources provided by the government have grown too scant for that.

The trainees were also taken on a tour of the facility and got to meet many of the inmates in the womens' section, who were mostly all congregated for a church service offered by two Missionaries of Charity once a week. Many of them freely offered their stories and were glad for a visit and a new person to chat with. We saw the foam mats where they slept, set up dormitory-style. Some rooms contained 6-10 mats, others nearly 30. Each mat had sheets and towels on it, neatly arranged, and often had an open Bible on top.

We also saw the carpentry center, bakery and dining hall on the men's side, but did not go into any of their cells, as there were security problems and the cells are quite overcrowded. All in all, the trainees seemed receptive to the messages presented to them. But for many, I think the highlight of the trip was the opportunity to travel so far across Guyana (which they might not be able to afford otherwise) and enjoy a ferry ride across the Berbice River!