Prison rehabilitation is taking on a whole new sound. For the first time in T&T's history, inmates will get the chance to have their voices heard via their very own radio station-Rise Maximum Radio. Incarceration, of course, is not meant to be fun, but founder and programme director Garth St Clair says imprisonment doesn't have to mean the end of someone's life. He says Rise-Rehabilitating Inmates Seeking Empowerment- which will be located at the Maximum Security Prison, Arouca, will serve to boost the self-esteem of prisoners and encourage them to be a part of something positive. The station, which will only be heard within the confines of the prison, is set to come on stream on July 31.
"Rehabilitation is very important. We have to prepare prisoners for re-entry into society and also to prepare society for prisoners when they are released. When one is locked away for a certain period they lose touch with society. This radio station will help make their transformation easier," St Clair asserted. Rise will be a station with a difference. Don't expect to hear anything from the likes of Jamaican dancehall artistes Konshens or Vybz Kartel or US rappers 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Kanye West. St Clair says the station will only have inspirational music on its playlist and it will also feature call-in and constructive talk programmes. This, he says, will help create a positive atmosphere for the prisoners and their listeners.
"We will be staying away from the 'gangsta' songs or anything that will influence them negatively," he explained. "Rise is supported and partly funded by the Bristish High Commission and will serve to connect prisoners with their families and friends who can call into the talk shows and have a dialogue with them." St Clair says he got the idea to start the prison radio programme during a visit to England with his wife Natasha Nunez-St Clair, three years ago. There, he discovered that the initiative was used in many prisons and was very successful in reducing the number of re-offenders and played an integral role in helping to keep ex-prisoners on the straight and narrow path. "When we returned, we approached Justice Minister Herbert Volney and he gave us the start up money to train and equip officers and offenders and to buy the equipment to launch the station," he divulged. "We definitely think that it would be an effective tool in the fight against re-offending. Our prisoners need something like this." In addition to being on the airwaves, inmates and prison officers will also get the rare opportunity to pursue broadcast courses to be headed by former radio announcer Holly Thomas via his Announcers Broadcast Academy.
Sadly lacking
Noting that social programmes for prisoners are sadly lacking in T&T, the Diego Martin resident says more needs to be done to ensure that rehabilitation is a key part of the nation's prison policy. He is doing his part. The outspoken radio talk show host, who was once a drug addict, is leading by example. Through his three-year-old company, NuClair Consulting Company Ltd, St Clair is using his own experiences to make a positive difference and show others that they too can turn their lives around. The former soldier spends his spare time lecturing to students and members of the armed forces on the dangers of substance abuse, something he says continues to affect many prisoners. And while he hopes Rise will eventually be heard outside the prison walls, that decision, he states, falls squarely on the shoulders of Volney and National Security Minister John Sandy, who will take over the station shortly after it is launched.
"This radio station is so important. It would encourage families to come into the radio station and speak about how having a loved one in prison has affected their lives." He added, "The station will allow the society to understand prisoners and will give prisoners the chance to get their message out to the public."
