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Food For The Poor intervention… 21 prisoners released from jail for Easter

Mar 29, 2013 News

Several prisoners in the Caribbean have been released from jail for Easter, thanks to charity organization, Food For The Poor.
According to the South Florida Caribbean News a total of 81 prisoners in Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Jamaica would be free.
In Guyana, 21 inmates were released on Monday from the Georgetown, Timehri and New Amsterdam Prisons.
Since the inception of Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Programme in 1998, the charity has assisted in freeing, training and reintroducing prisoners back into the community as productive citizens.
“Prison conditions and poverty are drastically worse in developing countries than they are in the United States,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor.
“Overcrowded prisons are common, and perpetuate the spread of disease and violence.”
The barracks in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, are reportedly so congested, that men are forced to sit in rows on the floor and hug their knees close to their chests – taking turns to stand, and stretch out their limbs. While at the prison releasing inmates, observers noted that many inmates had died before receiving a trial, due to the rapid spread of disease within the prison.
Most of the 16 prisoners released in Haiti in time for Easter were jailed because they stole food to feed their starving families. A 23-year-old father of two and caregiver for his paralyzed mother was released from the Cap-Haitien prison on March 25, after spending six months in jail. He had been accused of stealing a bag of rice. He was happy to be free, but at the same time he was anxious about what circumstances were waiting for him at home.
Another inmate, accused by his brother of stealing a goat, had spent the last five months in jail protesting his innocence. He described regaining his freedom as “God’s love in action.” He said God Himself freed him because he is innocent.
Prison authorities have found Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Programme to be so successful that they have implemented a similar programme themselves. Some prisons now offer inmates jobs in the prison where they are held so that they can earn money to pay off their fines.
Twice a year – during the week of Christmas and during Easter’s Holy Week – the Food For The Poor Prison Ministry Programme releases inmates who have committed minor offences.

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