THE story on the front page of today’s edition telling of Mr Mark Myrie’s enrolment in a master’s programme is indeed refreshing.

Obviously, Mr Myrie, who goes by the stage name Buju Banton, has decided that the time he has been sentenced to spend in a United States prison for his drug trafficking conviction will not be wasted.

According to Mr Myrie, who is easily one of reggae music’s biggest names ever, “I am already going to classes. I have passed the acceptance test and I will be studying political science and economics. I hope to get a master’s by the time I am released.”

Mr Myrie, readers will recall, was last Thursday sentenced to 10 years. With any luck, he could be out in six years, which is enough time for him to earn his degree if he applies himself.

His resolve to pursue higher learning during his incarceration suggests that he has accepted that there are opportunities amidst adversity. It also demonstrates a strength of character that, we expect, will serve him well during his time in the Pinellas County Jail. For it is no secret that the environment in US prisons is tough, and some of the most ruthless individuals are housed there.

But that is not unique to America’s adult correctional facilities. The same obtains here in Jamaica. The difference, though, is that there seems to be greater focus on rehabilitation in the United States, than in Jamaica.

Sure, there are programmes in our prisons aimed at reforming inmates — programmes that provide those who wish to access them with skills they can utilise to earn a livelihood when they are released.

However, as far as we are aware, those programmes don’t stretch beyond skilled labour and an opportunity to earn CXC qualifications.

Correctional authorities worldwide will attest to the fact that recidivism rates are lower in societies that provide learning opportunities for people in prison.

In fact, today’s story on Mr Myrie tells us that a study by the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York revealed that inmates who take college classes while in prison are four times more likely to stay out of trouble when they are released.

According to the story, the research showed that only 7.7 per cent of inmates who took college courses returned to prison, compared to 29.9 per cent of those who did not. It also found that college prison programmes save US taxpayers about US$900,000 per 100 students every two years.

Those are impressive figures that, we hope, our correctional authorities here will look at and make an effort to replicate, or even surpass.

Prisons, after all, were designed to rehabilitate persons who have broken the law, not to create criminals.

We wish Mr Myrie all the best in his studies and hope that the knowledge he will gain will enhance the already good quality of his music.