Inmates graduate from training programmes

Sixteen inmates of the Timehri Prison graduated on Tuesday from several training programmes, the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) said as it announced plans to commence classes in Mathematics and English for prisoners.

Eight of the inmates graduated from an Anger Management Programme facilitated by Solutions Training Consultancy while the other eight graduated from carpentry and joinery, GPS announced in a statement today.

The Anger Management classes have been instrumental in fostering behavioural changes among the inmates, the Prison Service stated.

“The class taught them to accept that anger is an emotion within us all and it cannot be denied but instead managed. They also learnt to accept responsibility for their actions when they are angry, this is followed by positive coping methods that can be used to combat an explosive response with a passive one,” the statement noted.

It added that the programme encourages logical thinking and improving decision making.

On the other hand, the carpentry and joinery classes teach a skill that can be used outside of prison so that released inmates can meaningfully earn an income as opposed to returning to a life of crime, the Prison Service said.

At the graduation ceremony, some of the pieces made by the inmates were on display. These included a chest of drawers and chairs.

The GPS noted that these are just two of the vocational and educational training programmes that it offers to inmates in an effort to rehabilitate them for reintegration into society.

The GPS said there are at least four programmes that are expected to be restarted in the new academic year, two of which are work readiness and the Caribbean Secondary Education Council’s (CSEC) Mathematics and English.