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Information Age for Bordelais

Contact: Chris Satney

Thursday,  November 1, 2007 –  The Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) has made it possible for an Information and Computer Technology Programme to become a reality at the Bordelais Correctional facility. The BNTF, as part of a project conceptualised by the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs the  late Marcia Philbert Jules, distributed some four computer systems, complete with printers, to the Dennery institution on Tuesday October 30^th.

Chairman of BNTF's Project Steering Committee Dr. Augustin Charles said the BNTF, through this gesture, is making its input to ensuring that inmates, after doing their time, re-enter society as productive citizens.

“It is a way of challenging the creativity and imagination of the inmates.  There are so many possibilities there; not just the convention of craft that we do, but something with a difference, where we inject the creative ingenious of the inmate,” said Dr. Charles, who is also the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Transformation under which the BNFT operates..

Unfortunately, most ex-inmates are unable to make a successful transition and they eventually return to prison. Director of the Bordelais Correctional Facility Hilary Herman said this is the problem that remedial training within the prison walls will help to eradicate. 

However, he said, the inability for society to adequately receive ex-inmates is the root cause of some of ex-convicts returning to the the facility.

“We can have every inmate fully skilled, fully trained  and fully rehabilitated but unless our society and our community at large is willing to accept those inmates and welcome them in their communities, and employers take a chance to allow them a second chance, what we do here at Bordelais will bear no positive results,” said Mr. Herman.

Initially the computers will be used to improve computer literacy among female inmates. The donation is part of a sub-project, which also consisted of the procurement of tools and equipment for clothing and textile and wood craft programmes.

The total cost of the sub-project was $65, 000.00, with a sum of $26, 000 spent on woodwork items and almost $19, 000 to run the clothing and textiles programme.  The remainder was used to purchase the computer systems for the ICT programme.

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