Prison Service not a big bad wolf

He made the statement on Monday at the launch of the Prison Service’s Community Outreach Caravan at the City Hall Auditorium in San Fernando.

“We want to show the people what happens behind the prison walls,” said Haniff.

The launch, chaired by the Prison Service’s Head of Communications, Krishna Bedassie, showcased works of art created by various inmates including a musical offering by a band of inmates who call themselves “Musical Vibrations.” Also put on display were several paintings, houses made from wood shavings, painted pots, and even books written by prisoners, all in an effort to show the effects of the Prison Service’s efforts towards rehabilitating prisoners.

“Our objective is to change as many lives as we could with the little resources we have,” said Gerard Wilson, Deputy Commissioner of Prisons Programmes and Industry.

Standing in for San Fernando Mayor, Kazim Hosein, who could not attend due to his observance of Eid al Adha, Councillor Robert Parris welcomed the Prison Service officials and spoke of his history of being an artist. Parris said he studied art professionally at the New York City High School of Art and Design and earned his first degree in Art and Advertising at the New York City College of Technology.

“Artists are more powerful than politicians,” said Parris.

“Art shapes people’s minds.” Parris joked he had made a step down the ladder instead of up.

He encouraged the inmates present to keep producing art and praised the Service for their work.

On behalf of the Mayor, Parris accepted one of two paintings commissioned by the Office of the Mayor of San Fernando which was done by two Carrera Island inmates, Leslie Huggins and Alladin Mohammed. The painting was of the first Town Hall of San Fernando. The second painting, to be unveiled on Friday at the Caravan’s first exhibition on Harris Promenade, is of San Fernando’s first City Hall.

Mohammed and Alladin spoke of the transformative effect that art has had on their lives. “Since I have been doing art, my life has completely changed,” said Huggins.

“I want to continue serving the people in every way possible,” said Huggins, who has been incarcerated for 18 years. Huggins said he was not an artist prior to being imprisoned, but learned and grew under the guidance of Mohammed, the head artist at the prison.

Mohammed, himself incarcerated for 20 years, said painting the first town hall was challenging and rewarding.

“It was the most horrible picture I’ve ever seen,” said Mohammed, speaking about the picture from which the painting was done.

He said, because colour photography was not yet invented in the 1950’s, details of the photograph had to be assumed.

Mohammed, a former student of ASJA College, San Fernando, has painted, showcased and sold several paintings before. The talented pair spoke of selling over $100,000 in paintings to date, one-third of which went to them.

The Outreach Caravan’s first showcase would be on Friday at Harris Promenade, San Fernando followed by two other exhibitions in the City of San Fernando at locations and dates to be decided this week.