J’cans among prisoners gifted second chance

“This is not the life I want to live.”

Those solemn words of regret issued by an unnamed 49-year-old prisoner who was one of four released from the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre after having spent more than a month in the Spanish Town prison because he could not afford to pay the fines for a minor offence.

He is one of 79 non-violent offenders for whom Food For The Poor (FFP) has paid fines in time for their release for Christmas. They were held in prisons throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Many were arrested for stealing to feed their families or for something that would be considered a minor offence.

For more than two decades, FFP has honoured the tradition of freeing non-violent offenders from prisons in Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Jamaica.

“This is the first time this has happened to me and it has been the hardest thing to deal with,” the 49-year-old said.

During his time behind bars, he admitted that he was forced to reflect on his life and it was during those times that he turned to God for comfort.

“I prayed a lot, and I begged God to intervene because this is not the life I want to live. God answered my prayer ... . I am so grateful,” he said.

In Haiti, the road to desperation is being led by poverty, civil unrest, and gang violence. Near-daily, protests are taking a toll on the 11 million people in the Caribbean nation, making day-to-day living nearly impossible for the destitute.

FFP has paid the fines of 50 men, two teens and one woman in Haiti. All were arrested and sent to prison for stealing. Most were arrested for taking a pig or, in the case of 14-year-old Jerry, a goat. Jerry, from Ouanaminthe, said that his mother died and his father abandoned him so he became a shoeshine boy to make money.

He admitted that he took the goat to sell, but the teen was arrested and locked up with hardened criminals for two months before FFP learned about his situation and paid his fine.

HOPE RESTORED

“I want to thank you for giving me back hope,” Jerry said. “I will go back to my daily life to make some money and feed myself.”

Rosette, 43, a wife and mother of eight, spent nearly six months in a Fort Liberté prison after she stole items from someone to sell to feed her family. Rosette was beside herself with joy to learn her fine had been paid. She knew her six months could have turned into years.

“I am so grateful to the donors of FFP or for helping me to go back home to my children,” Rosette said. “I will do better. Thank you, and may God send his blessings upon you.”

In Guyana, FFP paid the fines of seven non-violent offenders who were sent to prison for simple larceny or minor traffic offences. David, one of the seven, was fined US$91, money neither he nor his family had. He spent six months in Timehri Prison.

On the morning of his release, David and the six other men expressed gratitude to FFP President and CEO Robin Mahfood in a telephone conference from the charity’s Guyana offices.

“We are not here to condone or to pass judgement on anyone who was arrested and sent to prison for a non-violent offence. We believe in God’s mercy and second chances, because second chances are an opportunity to correct the wrong and to choose a better path in life,” he said.

“It is truly our prayer that each one of those released this Christmas will do exactly that.”