Ot­to Car­ring­ton

As T&T cel­e­brates Shouter Bap­tist Lib­er­a­tion Day next Thurs­day, prison of­fi­cers along with in­mates and spir­i­tu­al lead­ers of the faith at­tend­ed an in­ter­faith ser­vice at the Port-of-Spain State Prison yes­ter­day.

Speak­ing at the event, Deputy Prison Com­mis­sion­er, Car­los Cor­raspe said, “His­to­ry tells us that the Africans came here as slaves. They came here as slaves to face the most ar­du­ous phys­i­cal con­di­tions known to man. To work in the sug­ar­cane plan­ta­tions and we know that though the Pro­hi­bi­tion Act passed in 1917, we know that their re­li­gion, their cul­ture, it were all tak­en away from us when we came. So that pro­hi­bi­tion didn’t start in 1917. It start­ed from the time those of the African race ar­rived here. And yet they nev­er sur­ren­dered.”

He al­so told the in­mates: “The Pro­grammes and In­dus­try De­part­ment of the Prison Ser­vice is here for you. But we can on­ly be here if you want us to be here, which is to say that you in­vite us to en­gage you in some pro­gramme as you are this morn­ing be­ing en­gaged. To bring about a change in think­ing. And if you can start to change your think­ing, then you are well on the way to chang­ing your cir­cum­stances. I promise you, if you change your think­ing, the cir­cum­stances, though they lag be­hind, will quick­ly fol­low.”

For­mer in­mate and now Coun­cil of Pris­ons Chap­lains and Min­is­ters pres­i­dent, Sta­cy Ann Beck­les told the pris­on­ers, “We want to thank the Spir­i­tu­al Bap­tist broth­ers and sis­ters for bring­ing hope. Sev­en days, 365 days of the year for us through­out our nine in­sti­tu­tions. Stand­ing strong with the of­fi­cers and both of the clients.”

Na­tion­al Se­cu­ri­ty Min­is­ter Fitzger­ald Hinds was ex­pect­ed to at­tend the event but did not show up.