A Prison Inmate From Tower Street Motivates Kids at Haile Selassie High School (HSHS)

It is always nice when an idea comes to its fruition and this was the case on June 5.  From the very first week we were teaching at HSHS in the mornings, we spent the afternoons at Tower Street maximum-security prison.  It was on a drive from the school to the prison, from teaching one class and to another, while gobbling down a sandwich and keeping eyes on the road when the idea hit us – how can we bring an inmate from the prison to speak to the kids and have him create the right motivation towards non-violent behaviors. 

Little did we realize how much prep work is required to move an inmate from one place to another!   As a starting point, it requires the consent of the commissioner of prisons.  Luckily the prison commissioner has witnessed the success of our work at the prison (i.e decrease in infractions etc.) and thus supported the idea.  This led to having a team from the prison scope out the property – this is because an inmate could have enemies on the outside that might want to hurt him and the authorities are responsible for his safety.  Correctional officers are also required to be present at the school on the day of the event. 

Jah9 rocking it in front of 750 students

The idea was to have an inmate speak to the entire school about his mistakes in the hopes that it would deter the kids at HSHS from making the same mistakes.  We were hopeful the message would make an impression and give them something to think about when they are faced with doing the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ thing.  This was our simple idea.  Of course, in the hands of Dushyant Savadia, International Director for the Art of Living in the Caribbean, a simple idea can often take on much grander proportions.  This was no exception.  The event, held at HSHS on the afternoon of June 5 included a speech by the HSHS' principal Lorenzo Ellis, performances by two up and coming local Jamaican artists Jah9 and Jesse Royal, 

a dynamic Martin Luther King-like speech by Mr Reuben (the inmate from Tower Street prison who has now completed 20+ years at the prison and is still not done)

Mr. Reuben, an inspirational speaker

Seema announcing the scholarships

, and most importantly an announcement to award 63 scholarships (5 per month for the student body and 2 per month to teachers) equivalent to one year’s tuition.  The scholarship titled Leadership in Human Values will be awarded to a student from each grade every month that not only demonstrate diligence in academics but also exemplifies human values such as kindness, honesty, and respect.   

The scholarships are a fabulous idea as it brings the community together.  It easies the burden on parents who cannot afford tuition fees but also drives the students to create change in the school and the community around them.  They not only have to show acts of non-violence but also demonstrate they are driving the notion of non-violence in school, the neighborhood and the community.  These scholarships are a great way to incent the behavioral change we teach in class every day.  

Hanging with the kids and teachers at HSHS after the program

In addition, Seema has been asked to be the Art of Living overall project lead at HSHS for the coming year – including taking responsibility for selecting students for the scholarships, helping with fundraising, and running other programs.  If we thought our work would come to an end in July, we were mistaken!

Prisoners Party At Tower Street

This was the title of the full-page article that appeared on page 2 of the Sunday Gleaner, Kingston's top newspaper on May 5, 2013.  On May 2, 2013, a historical concert as a collaboration between Grammy award winners Shaggy, Sly and Robbie and Art of Living took place at the TowerStreet maximum-security prison.  It was an amazing experience.  To begin the day, it was my first day at the max security prison and I was awestruck at the atmosphere and security procedures.  The facility itself looks like an old fort.  

There is barbed wire on top of the walls and iron gates protect the entrance to the prison itself.  When you knock on the door, it is opened every so slightly by armed officers inside only to ask your business.   We arrived early to assist the set up, but at the prison, it is chaos.  All the media and production people there for the Shaggy concert have not been allowed into the facility to set up.  Subsequently, there is a process of going through a series of ‘red tape’ steps that takes an unaccounted for 1.5 hours to get everyone in that needs to be in.  Frustrations and anxiety are running high.  But finally, everyone is in.  

As we wait to be escorted into the area where the concert will take place (at the prison, moving around anywhere requires escorts), a truck is about to depart the facility.  I am stunned as a man with a very large machine gun pointed straight at the truck stands only a few feet away from me awaiting the truck to pass slowly towards the exit of the penitentiary.  He stands ready to shoot while other officers inspect underneath the truck to make sure no prisoners are attempting to escape.  Everywhere I look, there are reminders that the men inside these walls are in captivity.  Every move they make is controlled and monitored.  I never really thought about what that meant until my first experience at Tower Street. 

         
Finally, we (Devan, I and all the media/production people) were brought into the main part of the prison.  Myself and one other woman were among the group and asked to walk in front of the group, so the officers could take particular care of us.  As I walked down the main walkway, flanked by metal fences, I could feel such a mix of energies.  One the one hand, the men were staring at us from the other side of the fences like caged animals.  I could feel the difference in the way the looked at us women and they would make comments to illustrate.  On the other hand, there seemed to be a very relaxed and a recreational feel to the place.  I assume this is because, in prison, there is a lot of downtime.  There’s no where to go, and for hours at a stretch nothing in particular to do.  Some men were playing games or listening to music.  Others were just sitting and our passing through provided a bit of the days entertainment. 

Despite the challenges early in the day, and a few more unexpected things (like Shaggy coming in about an hour late), all actually went very well.  The inmates, officers, and government officials who attended (the minister of security for all of Jamaica as well as high commissioners from a number of countries, etc)  were very happy and impressed by the end of the day.  I too was very impressed by the event which was the brain-child of Dushyant Savadia (DJ is short), Art of Living’s International Director in the Carribbean.  He came to Jamaica only about a year ago, and has built relationships and a reputation for the organization that afforded such an amazing event to occur.  He and his main support in Kingston, Manisha Shah (now also an AOL director) and her husband Sundeep, and a handful of volunteers were able to make all this a reality.  I was amazed how much this small team has been able to achieve with so few resources and practically no money at all.  Dushyant was able to convince Shaggy to take the Art of Living course and throw the concert at the prison at no-cost in the hopes that the publicity from this event will help generate interest and momentum to help many more across Jamaica.    So far it is proving to be true.  Art of Living has now become a regular part of the rehabilitation training the inmates have access to at both Tower Street men’s prison and Fort Augusta women’s prison.   

This is the first time a concert was delivered in a  maximum-security prison here in Jamaica and potentially the globe.  It was delivered by the security team at Tower Street without a hitch - quite impressive if you ask me.  But most importantly, I realized if you put your mind to something, there's no reason you can't achieve it.  DJ came here not knowing anyone just over a year ago and to be able to pull off something like this, takes incredible dedication, faith and perseverance.