Treat inmates humanely; they are humans too

Jul 24, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
Reading continually about the recent unfortunate happenings at the prison in Georgetown, convinced me that idleness in the prison population has a lot to answer for. In the 1950s, while working as a typist in the government probation service, a few of us were taken on a tour of some of the workshops at ground level at the prison. I remember most of all the lovely smell of bread being baked or just baked.
We saw the beautiful furniture made by inmates, under instruction and supervision. My friend, who worked there at the time, now living in London, recently told me of the beautiful desk prisoners made for her typewriter to sit on.
Before leaving each afternoon, she pressed a ‘button’ under the desk, and the typewriter descended to rest overnight on a shelf below, the surface above merging into a desk once more. To me, innovative, sheer magic. Like me, she remains impressed with the capability of people who dwell behind the scenes; nuns, priests, researchers of various kinds. I can speak about myself. I am lucky to have a retentive memory and every now and then when a radio presenter is stuck for an answer to a listener’s question, I can often point him/her by email in the right direction. Great fun and a feeling of “OAP being useful”.
Remember the saying “Satan finds mischief for idle hands”, and treat inmates more humanely – they may be wicked, but they are human too. Years ago I read that in one Eastern country, prison inmates put together the meal trays for use on their country’s airlines.
Of course, all articles for such use were plastic. Perhaps business places in the community may have ideas for work that could be done off-the-premises. Every little bit counts. “Great oaks from tiny acorns grow”.
Geralda Dennison

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