A prisoner’s regret

Larry Reynolds* had just 15 minutes with his teenage son.

Father and son had a lot to catch up on since their last physical interaction three years ago, so Reynolds had to use the 900 seconds wisely last Thursday.

Reynolds is serving two life sentences at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, popularly known by its former name General Penitentiary, and must serve 40 and 25 years, respectively, before he is eligible for parole.

The crimes that led to his lengthy sentence were not disclosed.

He was incarcerated shortly before the birth of his now 18-year-old son, something that has caused him deep regret.

“Me never did deh road when him did born. Him did in a belly,” Reynolds recounted.

“A him auntie and granny raise him. Me really miss him.”

Reynolds was among nearly 200 prisoners who got a chance to mingle with loved ones last Thursday during the annual Family Day organised by Custos of Kingston Steadman Fuller and justices of the peace in the Corporate Area.

The Christmastime gesture began in 2011 as part of an attempt to drive the reintegration and rehabilitation of persons who were incarcerated at the maximum security prison, Fuller explained.

“Since then, we have not been able to stop. We have brought families together and sometimes the emotions are palpable when they meet,” the custos said during an interview with The Sunday Gleaner on Thursday.

There were tears, laughter, long hugs and sad goodbyes as prison guards enforced the 15 minutes allotted to each prisoner.

Reynolds beamed with pride after learning that his son is set to play in a major football league after completing high school.

“Me glad fi hear that,” he said before seizing the opportunity to encourage the teenager to avoid the mistakes that derailed his life.

“Don’t mek wha happen to me happen to you,” the imprisoned father said as his son sat quietly listening to every word.

“Stay out a bad company and study you book.”

With time running out, father and son posed for pictures before one last interaction.

“Daddy love you and keep out a trouble,” Reynolds said before they shared one last embrace.

MISSING YEARS

Angelo Burton* cuddled his son and daughter in his arms as he and his fiancé made full use of their 15 minutes together.

“Me son grow out a me sight. The last time I saw him he was much smaller than this,” he said of the child he last saw in 2019.

“No words in the English language can explain the feeling right now. It’s an amazing feeling just to see my wife and kids. We haven’t had this for a while because of the pandemic,” he told The Sunday Gleaner, referring to the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease.

Burton, who is scheduled to be released “very shortly”, acknowledged that it was “really hard” being away from his family and vowed never to put himself in any situation that would cause their family to be separated.

“Never again,” he declared.

‘HE IS MY LIFE’

A 74-year-old man waiting to see his daughter and grandson complained that he was still finding it difficult to adjust to life behind bars. He was given a 10-year sentence for assault in 2017.

“It’s rough. Sometimes is five or three of us in one cell and there is no bathroom,” he said, insisting that he was wrongly convicted.

His daughter’s arrival quickly lightened his mood.

“Daddy, you face look fat eeh,” she said, getting no response as his attention shifted to his grandchild.

“It’s hard seeing him here, but I have to be strong for him because a me alone him have,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

“He is my life. I lost my mother so my father is mi everything.”

For inmates who are likely to be reintegrated into society, it is important for them to maintain contact with their families, Fuller said, explaining another rationale for the initiative.

“Oftentimes when that is not done, they have nowhere to go when they leave. So, they are misplaced, and in some instances, they re-offend just to go back in because inside is a better place for them,” he said.

Further, the Kingston custos said when citizens end up in state care, there is a duty to ensure that their basic human rights and dignity are maintained.

He said prison officials have reported that behaviour inside the maximum security prison is significantly improved in the weeks before Family Day.

“The behaviour in the lock-ups improves 100 per cent because everybody wants to see their family,” Fuller stated.

*Names changed to protect identities.

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com