Hundreds of prisoners will sit down to a full Christmas dinner on Monday.
Most of them will gather in a communal area for a late afternoon feast of turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, seasoned rice, farina pie, stuffing, yams and gravy.
Family and friends are allowed to visit for an hour between 9am-4pm but there'll be no gift giving - officers don't want to risk any drugs being smuggled into the facilities.
With just over 300 people in prison as of last week, most of us know of someone who is serving time at Her Majesty's Pleasure.
And while the thought of a cozy Christmas is unlikely to warm the hearts of crime victims, it will provide some comfort to the prisoners' families and friends. It's a difficult balance, but it's one prison bosses feel they've got right.
"From an administrative point of view, I believe we've got it right," Clarence Davis, the assistant commissioner of corrections said.
"We recognize that [the inmates] are not castaways nor are they forgotten. They have come to prison to pay a debt to society for their crimes and while they are here we have a responsibility to prepare them for when they return to society."
There were close to 200 prisoners in Westgate last week. Most will spend the day like the rest of us - playing games, watching TV (although there's no cable, just three channels) and maybe sitting through a DVD. The inmates are allowed to see their families and friends with a maximum of three visitors at a time. The facilities have Christmas Trees in the visiting areas, which is an attempt to normalize the environment for kids. Conjugal visits are not allowed.
The atmosphere will be decidedly lighter - prison officers will be wearing civilian clothes instead of their usual government-issued uniforms.
But, as Mr. Davis pointed out: "The men and women are still locked up."
He said: "Visitors are not allowed to bring anything in, no gifts or anything of that nature."
Loved ones can receive paintings or woodcarvings completed by prisoners in recreation classes throughout the year, but they're handed over in a special location under close security.
The system used to allow gift exchanges until about 1992 but it was too time-consuming checking all the packages and there was always the risk of someone smuggling in contraband.
Mr. Davis says everyone should be allowed to celebrate Christmas, including the 19 people who are serving life sentences. Relatives tend to stick by the inmates regardless of the crimes they've committed and want to include them in the holiday celebrations.
Privileges, vary, however, according to how well behaved the prisoners have been. Mr. Davis said: "When people come into prison they are assessed as to their security category based on factors like the nature of the crime, previous offences, the escape risk and the potential for violence."
He said it's not unusual for lifers to move into minimum security "in preparation for their release into society."
Prisoners cook the Christmas dinner, which is served between 4-5pm. If there is any left over, they can have seconds. "We do what we can to make it feel like Christmas for them," Mr. Davis said.
Right now there are 17 women in prison, more than half of them foreigners. None of them have children staying with them in the facility. The total number of foreign prisoners is 39. They're allowed to call home collect.
Remand prisoners are kept in a separate part of the prison.
Cold turkey
Some co-ed facility prisoners will be allowed out on day passes, which come with strict conditions; they know they have to be back by a certain time and that they will have to have a urine test to check they haven't used drugs.
Mr. Davis said that one day all prisoners are going to be released back into society and that "it serves society more if you promote pro-social behaviour and activities."
He continued: "Christmas is a time that we set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ. When you think about his initial coming, He was not born into ideal conditions. He didn't have an inn to stay in; He had to use the stable."
In a way it's the same for prisoners and staff at Christmas. "We're all trying to make the best of the situation we find ourselves in," Mr. Davis said.
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, December 21, 2006
Comment by:
Concerned
I find it incredulous that this article has been written with little thought to the victims of the crimes these prisoners have committed - they have been inprisoned for punishment, yet may spend a better day than the victims - all at a cost to the public. Amazing
