Towards a New Direction In The Rehabilitation Of Ex-Officers In Fiji

Background
The Fiji Prisons and Corrections Service is embarking on an ambitious rehabilitation programme for ex-offenders. In pursuit of this initiative, the Service is taking a wider holistic approach to the rehabilitation issue, striving concertedly for the active involvement and support of the Community at large.

In the past, rehabilitation of the prison inmates has always been traditionally held as the sole domain of the sole domain of the Fiji Prison Service, with minimal support from the Community. Efforts to involve this important segment of the rehabilitation process, had relied solely on the Vanua  and the Church, but with very limited success, I must admit.

 International developments in human rights in recent years have had a significant impact on the treatment of offenders within our prison systems. In the past, inmates were considered as criminals not much better than animals. This perception had developed a lock and key mentality towards inmates within our system, the security of the public at large of foremost consideration in our work.

Where We Were
Imprisonment carries with it a very vicious and negative stigma. This has not only prevailed within our prison systems but more significantly so within the wider community at large. Such perception was not only confined to the inmates within, but also extended even to their families, who, while suffering economic deprivation and emotional strain, are faced with the extra stigma of being associated with criminals. Such attitudes and treatment only added to the inmates’ frustrations and with lack of any concerted rehabilitation within the Service, forced them into the re-offending cycle thereby progressing systematically into the higher levels of criminal activity. As a consequence, this only perpetuated an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion levelled against the prisoners in general by the public.

The Government, in recognition of the changing international mindsets and the paradigm shifts on the traditional perceptions on prison inmates, initiated a series of reforms within Fiji’s Prison systems. This culminated in the promulgation of the new Fiji Prisons and Corrections Act 2006, wherein the shift from detainment to corrections of prison inmates was legislated. This new focus is premised on the belief that there are indeed no bad people and that rehabilitation programmes can be developed to assist the re-integration of these back into society, allowing them to live normal lives.

Where We Are
Since, taking up Office early last year, one of my first tasks was to try and inculcate this necessary shift in mindset within the rank and the file of the Fiji Prisons and Corrections Service. Indeed, this has been no easy task, given the long tradition of detention and punishment that has been the hallmark of our prison systems in the past. The spin offs from this work culture has had its toll on the officers, giving rise to poor discipline, low morale, poor work ethics, low self-esteem and general acceptance of low standards.

I am delighted to report that we have made tremendous inroads thus far, in this respect within the Service. A revamp of our Training Focus, and the initiation of a number of team building exercises have assisted a great deal in this transformation. With the recruitment of outside experts, this has greatly bolstered our efforts in this area, that for the first time since the inception of the Department, we have had a training every week, with this trend set to see us through the rest of the year.

Where We Want To Be
Amidst all these developments, we have realised that there is a limit to the type of assistance that we can render to offenders to prepare for their return to society under the prevailing widespread stigma associated with imprisonment. Any efforts at equipping them with vocational and work skills, no matter at what level they may be pegged at, are only part of the overall equation. These efforts alone will not be adequate in the long run.

We now recognise that the Community plays the all important role of helping to create a stable social environment where reformed ex-offenders and their families can, not only feel a sense of belonging but be given the hope and encouragement to start anew. The willingness of potential employers and the Community as a whole to accept and receive inmates amongst them is the next hurdle that needs to be overcome, to complete the rehabilitation process.

In recognition of this major role that the Community can play as a premier stakeholder in the total Rehabilitation process, we have initiated a project involving a concerted and a coordinated approach towards creating awareness, generating acceptance and inspiring action within the Community towards the rehabilitation and re-integration of ex-offenders.