![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/prison.jpg\" "\\"prison\\"")
NASSAU, The Bahamas — The expansion of the Intra-Mural Scheme Programme at Her Majesty\u2019s Prisons, Fox Hill, should lead to prison self-sufficiency through the creation of industries that would not only generate income for inmates upon release, but also contribute to the Consolidated Fund.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no real justification why the Central Government (Government of The Bahamas) should have to continually bear the full cost of incarceration for healthy, hearty, sentenced inmates,\u201d Minister of National Security, Dr. Bernard J. Nottage said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany prisons in North America are realising savings by the creation of a robust prison industries programme. I have therefore asked the Superintendent (of Prisons, Dr. Elliston Rahming) to propose one or two viable, pilot projects for which I may seek to access mobilisation funds to set the wheels in motion to make our prison more productive and more self-reliant,\u201d Dr. Nottage added.<\/p>\n
Dr. Nottage said \u201cfor years\u201d the Prison has operated \u201cwithin a box\u201d but that \u201cwe must now think outside of the box.\u201d Ideas such as expanding the Intra-Mural Scheme; re-establishing a \u201cbroad-scale farming\u201d programme at the Prison, and consideration of allowing carefully selected, non-violent offenders to enrol at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, along the lines of the Extra Mural Work Release Programme, will help to encourage such thinking (outside of the box).<\/p>\n
\u201cWith regard to BTVI, perhaps now is the time to consider allowing carefully selected, non-violent offenders to enrol at BTVI along the lines of our Extra Mural Work Release Programme which has proven to be quite a success over the years,\u201d Dr. Nottage said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf selected inmates can go out to work at commercial establishments and return by 6 p.m., I see no reason why similar inmates may not receive day-release passes to attend a trade or technical school during the day and return to prison before night falls,\u201d Dr. Nottage added.<\/p>\n
Dr. Nottage applauded the efforts to re-establish broad-scale farming at the facility, but also suggested that officials look at other programmes with which BAIC can be of assistance. The National Security Minister offered to \u201cassist wherever I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are other programmes offered by BAIC that might also benefit the prison\u2019s training initiative,\u201d Dr. Nottage said. \u201cThese include straw craft production, shell jewellery manufacturing and handicraft skills training.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inmates were challenged not to leave prison the way they entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether you need anger management skills, drug therapy, family reunification classes, life and entrepreneurial skills classes, technical-vocational or academic courses, it\u2019s all here, free of charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI challenge you not to leave prison worse off than when you came. Do not even leave the same way you came. Leave Her Majesty\u2019s Prison with a new sense of patriotism, self-worth, a new sense of empowerment, a new feeling that you can make good choices and overcome obstacles,\u201d Dr. Nottage added.<\/p>\n
By Matt Maura
\nBahamas Information Services<\/p>\n
CAPTION: Minister of National Security, Dr. Bernard J. Nottage (third right) inspects some of handicraft work produced by inmates of Her Majesty’s Prisons. Dr. Nottage was at the Prison for the Inmate Certificate Giving Ceremony. Dr. Nottage called for the expansion of the facility’s Intra-Mural Scheme Programme, which he said would encourage self-sufficiency and the creation of industries within the institution.\u00a0\u00a0 Pictured with Dr. Nottage (from left) are: Mrs. Anita Dillet, Educational Officer, Her Majesty’s Prisons and Prison Superintendent, Dr. Elliston Rahming. (BIS Photo\/Patrick Hanna)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The expansion of the Intra-Mural Scheme Programme at Her Majesty\u2019s Prisons, Fox Hill, should lead to prison self-sufficiency through the creation of industries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[270],"class_list":["post-23253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-prison"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23253\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}