Business is humming at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre where 230 inmates are mastering the art of agro-processing through the production of 67 items, ranging from a variety of sauces, condiments, juices and pastries, in the first-ever 4-H programme in an adult prison in the island.

The agro-processing component is in addition to a thriving chicken and tilapia-rearing project, as well as cash crop farming.

The products — all produced inside the facility under Bureau of Standards regime — not only help to supplement the prison population’s diet, but are sold to the wider public at 4-H expos. Efforts are also now being made to get the items on supermarket shelves.

The

Jamaica Observer was able to view, first-hand, the items on display, and to speak with some of the proud club members during a recent staging of an expo inside the facility to showcase the products and give specially invited guests an opportunity to make purchases.

Parish development officer for St Catherine 4-H Clubs, Elaine Campbell, said the organisation’s entry into the facility happened when they were asked to assist the inmates with some baby chicks for a chicken-rearing project. This, she said, quickly bore fruit and created the environment for the 4-H programme to be established.

The programme, she said, has been tailored somewhat, given the nature of the institution. However, it is not much different from what obtains in 4-H clubs in communities and schools across the island.

The inmates’ roll-out of the programme has been so successful that the group was awarded first place in the National School/Club Gardens competition, both at the parish and regional levels, beating out more than 20 other clubs. They were also awarded second place at the national level.

“These are people united in time and involvement, and what they are able to accomplish in the hours in each day, it was so much more than some of the other clubs,” Campbell said.

She said the project has not only helped in teaching the inmates a skill, but has assisted in supplementing their dietary needs, given that a lot of the agricultural produce is used in the canteen. “When they got the chicken from 4-H, one inmate said their menu was instantly upgraded as they were able to eat what they grow,” she said.

“Initially some places that were bare and had nothing, it is amazing to see how the inmates have planted out every little area with cash crops,” she told the

Observer.

These are some of the initiatives which have helped to propel the club to the top of competitions.

“When we came to judge, we looked at the economic value and the impact on the institution and we saw where they were contributing to the canteen and so on,” she told the

Observer.

As it relates to the agro-processing project, Campbell said the information for most of what is produced comes from the Bureau of Standards and the Scientific Research Council, even as she gave the assurance that the items are produced under inspected and supervised conditions.

The 4-H organisation monitors the operation through visits to the institution once or twice monthly, as well as frequent communication with the senior superintendent in charge.

The programme has been beneficial in more ways than one, as Campbell said it has helped to stem the violence behind the prison walls. “We have been told that violence has dropped from 45 per cent to less than five per cent since the inception [of the club], and this is because the energy is extended [to] doing something positive and also they are working together in teams,” she said.

Given the success at St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, Campbell said other institutions have been requesting the formation of 4-H clubs behind prison walls. However, the only other such facility where the programme is rolled out is at the Rio Cobre Juvenile Institution, which won the agro-processing award for the parish for 2015.

Campbell said there are inmates who have since been released, who are benefitting from the skills received through the programme. “I was in Linstead recently when I saw an inmate who called me to look at his garden,” she said.

Superintendent Herbert McFarlane, who is in charge of the facility, said the programme has had a great impact on the population as it has helped to reduce the amount of “idle time”. He pointed out that the inmates are learning a skill which they will find useful when they are released.

Proceeds from the project, he said, are reinvested into training. However, the intention is to allow the inmates to be able to receive some financial benefit as well in the future.

McFarlane said the programme has the ability to sustain itself, as a lot of it — especially the cash crops — go back into feeding the general population. He pointed to the creativity of the inmates in their use of whatever materials are available to them.

“You would be surprised to know how creative they are, as they find means of raising tilapia in large water drums,” he said.

Assistant Superintendent Hugh Christie said he supports the programme by buying some of the products on a regular basis.

“The products are clean and healthy and the quality is good, and so I support it,” he said as he made a purchase at the recent expo. “It gives them a new look on life, working for a living, and it frees their minds from the outside world,” he added.

President of the 4-H Club, an inmate who cannot be identified, expressed satisfaction at how well the programme has been received by his fellow inmates.

He explained that four years into his incarceration, he started looking around for additional programmes which would benefit inmates like himself, who wanted to do something meaningful with all the time they had on their hands. After researching the possibilities, he settled on the the 4-H programme. He was delighted when the organisation responded positively to the request.

He explained that they first started off rearing 150 chickens. The number steadily increased over time. The club later moved into other areas, such as cash crops, eggs, and tilapia farming. The agro-processing, he said, came automatically.

He recalled that when the club first started, he was only able to convince five individuals to sign up. “Now, we have 230 members, which means that 25 per cent of the population is in the club,” he proudly told the

Observer.

Approximately 280 people who have since been released also benefited from the training within the year. He noted that a number of inmates were also able to get their food handler’s permit.

“It has been overwhelming for me when someone never got the opportunity from outside, but can come and be equipped,” he explained.

He noted that the project has helped considerably with rehabilitation of the inmates, and urged the media to sensitise the public about some of the positives that are happening behind bars.

“The rehabilitation ‘tun up’, because we are involved in purposeful activities,” he said, adding that this would be one of the most suitable programmes to replicate in other prisons.

The inmate who is responsible for the beautifully designed labels, said he was happy for the opportunity to utilise his talent in this way, having gained experience in manufacturing designs at a company where he was employed before his incarceration.

“These labels help to enhance the products because visual helps to sell things, and when a product looks attractive people are more willing to buy into it,” he told the

Observer.

Some of the goods were initially marketed under labels such as ‘Quenchie’ and ‘Super Cool’, but now they are all required to be marketed under the label ‘St CACC 4H’.

The inmate explained that all the graphic work for the 67 products is done inside the facility.

“I am glad for the opportunity to do this because it gives your mind something to think on. It was a mental battle when I first came in here and the 4-H really helped to ease my mind,” he said.

Staff Officer Haribella Hamilton, who has been engaging interested inmates in the making of a variety of craft items, said the men have been very interested in the process.

Many of them, she said, were being introduced to craft making for the very first time, and have caught on very quickly.

“One of them used a piece of stick and start the crotchet, and now if you see how well he is doing,” she explained.

However, Hamilton pointed out that the inmates are more interested in making shoes and slippers. According to Hamilton, the craft project has been having a positive impact on the inmates. “They really look forward to it and there is really great behavioural change,” she said.

Hamilton, who has been making craft items for 23 years now, said the project has also had a positive impact on the inmates at Fort Augusta where she was posted before. She cited the case of one female inmate who, having learnt the skill in prison, has since started her own business after she was released.

“Now she is using this as a profession, and honestly, she makes me so proud,” Hamilton said, adding that the main aim now is to identify markets for the products.