Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre (entrance)

I recently concluded a series of human rights workshops with inmates at the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre,  located in Portmore, St. Catherine (Jamaica). The experience has left me hopeful–on account of participants’ enthusiasm to learn about human rights and quickly apply their newly honed skills to secure better living standards and quality of life; as well as institutional leaders’ enthusiasm to obtain materials and demand that workshops be designed for them as well.

Over the duration of my visit I have sought to: impart knowledge about human rights, advocacy, the Access to Information Act, networking and communications, leadership, conflict, group development, and participatory governance; transfer skills in: leadership, advocacy, and networking and communications; and gather data about inmates’ experiences realizing their economic and social rights (ESR), as well as the preparedness of Fort Augusta for development and participatory governance, via large group discussions, surveys, face-to-face conversations, and general observation.

View of Rehabilitation Unit and Training Rooms at Fort Augusta

It was quite encouraging finding that both the inmates and staff were interested in learning about human rights, not merely in order to protect themselves, but to better serve the Fort Augusta community. In fact, in conversations with institutional leaders such as the superintendents, assistant superintendents, and officers, I was asked to use my findings to help them lobby for and integrate a human rights approach in their work. Critical human rights tools were requested and disseminated to institutional leaders and inmates, and I was given the charge, by inmates and Superintendent Pitter to advocate to the Ministry of National Security (MNS) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to take their human rights challenges seriously and consider mainstreaming it within the institution. To fulfill this charge, I must now assume the role of advocate in order to represent the issue to the various stakeholders.

In addition to universal education about human rights, which staff and inmates had consensus about. Inmates also noted that particular situations needed urgent attention if the institution was to be seen as fulfilling their fundamental rights as laid out in the: Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, and the Corrections Act (Jamaica). The major complaints of the inmates are listed below:

1. Absence of a decent and routine family day–We don’t get to touch our kids, even if they visit. Of the 19 participants who were present at the Assessment Workshop, 10 were mothers who attested to not seeing their children in over one year. Of the 10 inmates who had not seen their children, at least six of them are Jamaicans, who have children in the island. The inability to see children is worsened by the fact that telephone calls to children are only permitted during the week and at hours when they are at school,
2. Roach infestation–I work in the kitchen and both it and the laundry area are infested with roaches. Even the seasoning for the food has roaches in it,
3. Rat infestation–the rats are very big, the size of mongooses, and they are in our dorms. We can’t sleep at nights,
4. Absence of toilet and shower facilities–there are no toilets and showers in the punishment block. We have to use buckets to defaecate in. I was there for about two consecutive months and I had to use newspapers as my toilet. People pass on the outdoor of the block and see us while we bathe inside,
5. Inadequate access to medical care–persons with medical conditions and illnesses  don’t get to see a doctor until at least one month after reporting the problem. There are persons with toothache who can’t see the dentist. I have had this condition on my foot since November, and four months have lapsed since I reported it. It is worsening but I can’t get the attention of a doctor,
   
6. Inability to realize all our rights to visitors–We are short changed or our visit times, as we are allowed five minutes rather than the regulated 15 minutes. Further, only three individuals are allowed to register to visit an inmate at a time, which takes six months to process for eligibility. If there are unforeseen circumstances, like loss of employment, which impair registered visitors, the inmate will have to wait another six months before a new batch of visitors are eligible. Inmates often times do not get their special meals during holidays like Christmas, on account of this situation,
7. Lack of privacy when inmates get visitors–An officer is always there, which makes it quite difficult and uncomfortable to talk with family and get emotional support,
8. Inadequate access to telecommunications–there are three phone booths and only one is working. This situation has made it very difficult to keep in touch with family, as two dorms comprising of a maximum of 28 inmates are allowed to use the sole functioning phone. Jamaican nationals get two minutes conversational time, and non-Jamaicans get five minutes, which expires by the time the connection is made overseas,
9. Slow processing and transfer of funds–foreigners have difficulty getting their money, which is sent by relatives. One British national noted that her brother had sent her cash (pounds) in a letter in September 2008, from which she was given the letter, but not the cash. On contacting the prison administration she was told that the money was lodged and is being processed. Since being told that she made three official requests (in writing), after which she was told that she should wait for them to contact her. Six months have now passed and the money has not been given to the inmate,
10. Unavailability of nutritious food–the tuck shop supplies only sweet juices and snacks, which does not encourage a healthy diet for our physical development and monthly nutritional needs,
11. No remuneration for employment within or outside the institution
12. Lack of access to grooming tools
13. Lack of uniformity of treatment of inmates by officers

Inmates maintaining Fort Augusta's Grounds

These challenges are certainly not insurmountable, and I believe that the stakeholders of Fort Augusta–Major Reese (Permanent Secretary, MNS), Dr. Edwards-Kerr (Director, Monitoring and Evaluation Division, MNS), Mrs. June Jarret (Acting Commissioner of Corrections, DCS), Mrs. Mabel Morris (Inmate Welfare Coordinator, DCS), Mrs. Sylvia Passley (Rehabilitation Coordinator, DCS), Mr. Courtney Gordon (Education Coordinator, DCS), Superintendent Kelly (Fort Augusta), Superintendent Pitter (Fort Augusta), Assistant Superintendent Schloss (Fort Augusta), Corporal Appleton (Fort Augusta), and Fort Augusta inmates–have the right attitude for development. I can’t wait to see the outcome of my charge, to advocate for the institutionalization of human rights at Fort Augusta–What a model this would be for Jamaican communities,  Fort Augusta: Prepared for Development!

Leaving Fort Augusta (with the prison behind this is the road ahead)

Pan American Airline

In 1914 (the commencement of World War I) the Honorable Marcus Garvey, Jamaican national hero and pan-Africanist, founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). His work was to continue until 1940, five years before the end of World War II. As a Jamaican, the coalescence of the growth in the back to Africa movement, the development of the two World Wars, and the burgeoning of the Jamaican tourism industry, in and around the same time period is very noteworthy. Jamaica’s tourism product quickly developed during a time of world instability and the Great Depression, as well as a massive movement by children of slaves, across the Americas, to return to their homeland.

It is within this context that Jamaica grew from a colony, which depended on sugar exports, as the major foreign exchange earner, to an independent country in 1962, with tourism surpassing the declining sugar product as a foreign exchange earner in the economy by 1965. Within 25 years of Marcus Garvey’s death, the political attraction of the back to Africa movement had been replaced with a new fervor for sovereignty and independent governance (at least in Jamaica). This fervor for was vividly captured in Tony Rebel’s music video posted below. Additionally, the Jamaican economy saw the coming to full maturity of the tourist industry, which ushered Jamaica’s development of a strong tertiary sector.

Frank Taylor, writing in Caribbean Sociology in the article: To Hell with Paradise, looks at the history of the Jamaican Tourist Industry, highlighting how it grew from a limited service, which was predominantly accessible to the wealthy, to a bustling trade, which actively competes for the average middle-income vacationer:

Resort Map

• Before 1930- No landing field in Jamaica. Jamaica as a destination was almost exclusively for the wealthy
• December 2, 1930- Pan American Airways (PAA), with four employees on staff, linked Jamaica to the outside world, which directly contributed to Jamaica’s emergence as a leading destination for the average middle income vacationer
• Before 1939- Hotels operated about 20 weeks per year
• 1939- World War II commenced
• 1940- Military started construction of an airport on the Palisadoes peninsula. Jamaican national hero, Hon. Marcus Garvey dies in London on June 10
• After 1940- the main mode of transportation for vacationers was by air , no longer by sea
• August 19, 1941- Dutch KLM landed its first air plane in Jamaica and introduced it as a vacation site in post World War II
• 1944- the Hotels Aid Law was passed and it gave numerous concessions for the construction of resort hotels. The Law also provided for customs duty waivers on the importation of building materials and various items of hotel equipment. It was this law that Jack Pringle, president of Montego Bay Hotel Association attributed the break neck speed with which this North Coast town (Montego Bay) developed in the post War era
• 1945- a regional rather than purely insular approach to tourism development was accepted/ appreciated. World War II ended
• After 1945- Port Antonio, Jamaica’s leading banana port and once the leading tourist resort, sank into the background as a travel destination, because it had no airfield. Montego Bay rose in preeminence, partly due to the World War II airstrip
• 1950- Hotels operated 32 weeks per year and the ‘Know Jamaica” Tour was launched, which brought over 1,000 travel agents and editors on visits between 1951 and 1953
• May 1952- British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) landed agents with the intent of promoting Jamaica as a summer site in the post World War II years
• 1954- Hotels operated 40 weeks per year. The Jamaican Government granted the creation of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), to which membership was offered to most of the private interest groups involved in tourism–It was supported by annual grants from the government treasury, it was given special borrowing powers, which facilitated it maintaining its head office in Kingston, augmenting full time staff, and opening sales offices in New York, Miami, Chicago, and London. PAA introduced discounts and installment schemes to make vacationing more affordable for travelers.
• 1955- JTB was inaugurated and it set a goal to double Jamaica’s tourist business within five years, which it achieved. Jamaica is featured on the PAA calender. Jamaica is serviced by eight international airlines: PAA, KLM, Trans Canada Airlines, Delta, Avianca, Avensa, BOAC, and British West Indian Airways (BWIA)
• 1960- Jamaica surpassed 250,000 for annual tourist arrivals–15 years before, annual arrivals stood at just over 34,000. Tourism had ceased to be a one-season affair that it had been before the War–it became a year round commerce
• 1962- Jamaica got its independence from Great Britain. Hotels operated 52 weeks per year–the change from class to mass visitors resulted in a reorganization of the industry in the 1960s on a 12 month basis with two distinct economic time spans targeting class and mass vacationers respectively: Winter (December 16 to April 15) and Summer (April 16 to December 15)
• 1965- For the first time ever long stay visitors comprised the bulk of arrivals–which heralded the full maturity of the Industry. Tourism surpassed the declining sugar industry as a foreign exchange earner in the Jamaican economy.

“In the post World War II years, with the rise in air transport, came a dramatic shift in the centers of Jamaican tourism… If in the international perspective, the 1950s and 1960s were a veritable golden age of a global tourism boom, in that gilded era Jamaica’s North Coast was literally its gold coast, pulsating with tourism development. Among the Anglophone Caribbean countries, Jamaica was the acclaimed leader in establishing mass tourism… Allied to the post War surges in the numbers of Jamaican tourist arrivals was the mushrooming of the island’s tourism plant and infrastructure. So ebullient was the growth in capacity in the hotel industry that it outpaced the annual rate of growth in visitor arrivals. In 1950 Jamaica had 1,680 beds and in 1962 the number rose to 7,000 and a gross investment of some 20 million pounds. Between 1945 and 1962 the number of hotels in the island increased twofold.”

Jamaican Scenery

The support that was identified for the development of the tourism industry in Jamaica demonstrates that as a society and country we have the resources for national development. Further, the pace of growth of the tourism sector indicates that if the relevant stakeholders are willing we can make any sector/ industry successful. Of course we will require, as in the case of the tourism sector, the contribution of the Government, private sector, multinational corporations, and the Jamaican people. Marcus Garvey’s dream to return to Africa was not realised, but Jamaica did transition to a sovereign country, having the opportunity to empower its people, improve their social condition, and determine their future. Tourism contributed to national development–it must now be harnessed for parochial and local development.

Havana, Cuba

The Cuban Revolution has stirred many emotions and opinions from various people and different parts of the world. For me, a Jamaican who grew up in the later stages of the Cold War, the word Cuba was sure to cause stir in any fora–you would be sure to hear the Cuban leadership being chided for the denial of the rights of people to own personal assets like modern cars and posh homes.

When we dare to examine Cuba’s human rights track record in economic and social rights however, it leaves us wondering if our leaders are sleeping. In my line of work modeling and best practices are critical for sustainable development. If we fail to learn from the experiences of others we will continuously make the same mistakes. This article seeks to highlight some human rights achievements of Cuba, which Jamaica must model if we as a society and Government are serious about poverty reduction, the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and ensuring for all equality and equity.

Extract from The Sunday Gleaner (11/01/09): In Focus “CASTRO absolved by history…almost” by Robert Buddan:

1. The Cuban Revolution recognized at the outset that people had a right to development. The Revolution had pioneered this application of human rights as inclusive of social and economic rights. World history caught up with the idea 30 year later in the form of the UN resolution in 1986.
2. The UN aimed to eliminate extreme poverty by 2015, an objective Cuba had also set for itself and had achieved long before.
3. Cuba is the only country that has put the right to work, food, shelter, education, and health in its constitution and satisfied those rights.
4. Cuban democracy is a disciplined democracy, which is why crime and idleness are virtually absent…while the Caribbean has the highest murder rate in the world Cuba has the lowest.
5. Cuba has the capacity to mobilise hundreds of thousands of people at short notice in energy conservation, food production, hurricane evacuation and national defence.
6. Cuba’s urban farming initiative has recovered by 97 percent in only a few months after three devastating hurricanes in 2008. Cuba has set a new record in tourist arrivals despite those hurricanes because the country was able to repair hotels quickly and tourists had a great sense of safety.
7. It was recently announced that foreign travel by government officials will be cut by 50 percent, which will save US$60 million.
8. Cuba evacuated 2.6 million persons (the population of Jamaica) in one case and found shelter for all of them. Hurricane-related deaths are rare in Cuba. Few countries, if any, have the capacity to mobilise on this scale or emergency governance.
9. Despite its crisis, Cuba’s economy grew by 4.6 percent in 2008 while other economies were flat.
10. The UN has done well to launch the MDG, but in the last eight years, no country has made such a difference in the lives of poor people of other countries than Cuba has.
11. There are 108 foreign missions accredited in Havana, making Havana the diplomatic city of the Caribbean.
12. Cuba has 51, 000 volunteers in 96 countries, making Cuba’s people-based diplomacy  difficult for any other country to match.
13. Cuban doctors have restored the sight of over one million people in Latin America and the Caribbean, an achievement that goes well beyond anything that the UN or the developed countries have achieved in the developing world.
14. Cuba has more doctors per capita than any other country in the world.
15. Cuba has the highest number of teachers per capita  in the world.
16. Illiteracy is 0.2 percent in Cuba.
17. Child mortality is the best among developing countries and better than that for many developed countries.
18. Life expectancy is 78 years, at the level of developed countries.

Nothing in life is perfect, neither is Cuba, but I am sure you will agree, based on the records that Buddan discusses–Cuba is a contemporary model for state-led prioritisation and respect for human rights and people-centered development. Jamaicans love to look across the sea to Singapore when they are talking about development modeling, but I believe more fertile soil lay 90 miles away in a society that is extremely similar to ours in its history, population, cultural retentions and practices, geography, location, and size.

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Agenda: National CSO Consultation, Jamaica

Pictures: National CSO Consultation, Jamaica

Press Release: National CSO Consultation, Jamaica

Report: National CSO Consultation, Jamaica