Let's support skilling of youth inmates, ex-inmates

The eight years Geoffrey Otto spent in prison for a crime he insists he did not commit left a mark on his life because among others, he lost everything he had worked so hard for before being convicted. It is now five years since he was released but he still remembers his life in prison like it was yesterday.
Thirty-five-year old Otto, a resident of Adek Okwok in Lira District, was convicted on July 9, 2009 for aggravated defilement and sentenced to eight years in prison. Otto says before his arrest he was a successful businessman.
 “After conviction, I was sent to Luzira Prison then later transferred to Bulabula in Kayunga, Mbale, Soroti, Lira and I completed my sentence at Erute Farm Prison. Every prison transfer that happened drew me closer to home,” he says. Otto says he forgave his accusers saying the rehabilitation process he underwent while in prison changed him.
                
Rebuilding his life 
While in prison, Otto attained entrepreneurship skills training,  something that saw him become a mentor to many ex-inmates saying his goal is to see to it that his fellow ex-inmates don’t go back to prison.
“If you have been to prison I don’t think you would want to go back. That is why I team up with fellow ex-inmates in the community to volunteer and mentor other ex-inmates in various businesses and link them to vocational institutes to attain skills so they can earn a living,” Otto says.
Denis Opiyo (not real name), a 29-year-old inmate at Gulu Main Prison is also a beneficiary of inmate skilling programmes.
Opiyo, a resident of Koch lii, Nwoya District says he has spent the last eight years of his life in and out of prison.
“I am not the only repeat offender, there are people I found here who have made prison their home. However, with skills in carpentry, I am sure I will have a means of earning a living once I am released in November this year,” Opiyo says.  
According to statistics from Uganda Prison Service, 70 per cent of inmates are youth and at least 80 per cent can’t read and write. And yet experts believe that re-offending can be curbed by vocational training and formal education.

Reoffending
In a bid to further reduce the reoffending rate, development partners have adopted skilling of youth inmates and ex-inmates. One such project is the Bridging Opportunities for Effective Livelihood of Youth Prison inmates and ex-inmates in Northern Uganda Project (BOPLYN).
 The three-year project implemented by Advance Afrika and Edukans in partnership with Uganda Prisons Service with funding from European Union strengthens youth engagement of youth prison inmates and ex-inmates in Acholi Sub-region.
The initiative looks at successful rehabilitation and reintegration of young prison inmates and ex-inmates in the community besides realising their full potential and meaningfully contributing to economic development of the region.
Uganda Prison Service Spokesperson Frank Baine Mayanja says there has been a commendable drop in the reoffending rate in the country due to diverse rehabilitation programmes, saying skilling the inmates has been key in their initiative.
“Eighty percent of youth inmates can’t read and write simply because they have not gone beyond primary level and that is why among the rehabilitation programmes, skilling is key because we have seen the reoffending rate dropping from 30 percent in 2000 to 20 percent currently,” Baine says.
He notes that many prisons don’t have enough resources to fully train inmates saying they only train convicted inmates.
“Many people expect even those on remand to undergo rehabilitation, something that we can’t afford and that is why it’s only convicts who we are supporting with educational initiative. Currently, about 20,000 are undergoing adult learning and 1,500 are engaged in informal education while more than 4,000 youth are receiving vocational training,” Baines said.
Chief executive director Advance Afrika Sharon Atukunda says education gives prisoners opportunities in form of skills they may not have had before. 
“Skilling youth inmates and ex-inmates equips them with practical skills which support them in life after prison. It encourages flexibility and dynamic development of an inmate’s life skills besides helping them remain positive about life after prison,” Atukunda says.
She adds that when one is in prison, it is almost impossible to know the latest trends in business and innovation. 
 “We support them through formal education, functional adult literacy, vocational training, religious empowerment and counselling plus farming as rehabilitation programmes because it necessary in making them holistic citizens,” Atukunda adds.
The vocational training courses include carpentry, metal works, engineering and construction, tailoring, handicraft, weaving, beauty skills and leather works.
                
How skilling is enforced
Principal social rehabilitation and welfare officer Uganda Prisons Service, Adams Hasiyo, says the prisons service is low on instructors  so they have to use of fellow skilled inmates to fill the human resource gaps.
“While admitting inmates into prisons we assess their area of expertise and deploy them accordingly to give practical skills to their colleagues while serving their sentence and this has helped in their rehabilitation and practicing of their skills beside filling the huge gap we have as far as instructors is concerned,” Hasiyo says.
Hasiyo notes that after attainment of skills, some inmates have been making money through prison industries and they are paid Shs1,000 per day.
“Their family members pick the money from Prison and it can be used for school fees and feeding,” he says.
Hasiyo highlights that the accessibility of skilling programmes by inmates in prison is currently hindered by limited equipment and instructors. 
“There are many inmates who want vocational skills but we are limited by lack of workshop equipment something that the government has committed itself to address by setting up Uganda Prison vocational institute very soon,” Hasiyo says.

More Challenges
Francis Okodel, a researcher with Gulu University says although inmates are equipped with practical skills, they are not facilitated to fully utilise the knowledge they acquire while in prison, which makes them redundant, hence they end up re-offending.
“Majority of ex-inmates have failed to get jobs after being released from prison because many employers still think ex-inmates are criminals. Many actually don’t believe they have changed,” Okodel says.
Okodel says prison institutions should be provided with all the facilities needed for vocational education and training saying it would help to further create employment for inmates to generate income.
“Having the skills is different from having the resources to create your own job and that is why its key for prison to have standard workshops, modern facilities and as well improved remuneration for inmates to save the little they are making from prison to help them start their own business upon their release,” he adds. 
BOPLYN’s Stephen Michael Ocaya says many inmates have failed to reintegrate in the community after serving their prison sentences saying majority still find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
“We are helping them with startup capital besides linking them automatically to get employed either in public or corporate bodies after release. We also work day and night against stigmatisation for the ex-convicts in the society because it frustrates our effort of integrating them in the community,” Ocaya notes. 

Perspective
Francis Okodel, a researcher with Gulu University says although inmates are equipped with practical skills, they are not facilitated to fully utilise the knowledge they acquire while in prison, which makes them redundant, hence they end up re-offending.
“Majority of ex-inmates have failed to get jobs after being released from prison because many employers still think ex-inmates are criminals. Many actually don’t believe they have changed,” Okodel says.
Okodel says prison institutions should be provided with all the facilities needed for vocational education and training saying it would help to further create employment for inmates to generate income. “Having the skills is different from having the resources to create your own job and that is why its key for prison to have standard workshops, modern facilities and as well improved remuneration for inmates to save the little they are making from prison to help them start their own business upon their release,” he adds.