Initiative that gives inmates real hope

A raft of potential employers and support agencies filed into Westgate this week as part of an initiative to give inmates a head start when they are released back to the community.

Representatives from construction firms, food suppliers and the Bermuda Hospital Board sat down with prisoners to discuss job prospects 

The annual ‘Bridging the Gap’ event has been running for eight years and helped provide employment opportunities to prisoners as well as information on what support systems are in place outside the prison’s walls.

Corrections Commissioner Eddie Lamb told the Sun: “This is a joint effort between Corrections and the community to achieve our mission of returning the inmates better and more productive members of the community.

“It needs this collaboration because Corrections can not do it all.

“And the participation of these other agencies allows inmates to make valuable connections with the outside world before they are discharged.”

Yvette Brown, a social worker at Westgate, who organizes the ‘Bridging the Gap’ event each year, added: “We are extremely grateful to all the agencies and companies that make themselves available for this community reintegration fair.

“We can obviously not take inmates out to these various establishments so bringing them to Westgate is an invaluable resource for the inmates.

“The event has grown year on year and we always receive a very positive response from everyone taking part in the event.”

This year more than 20 potential employers and support agencies attended the reintegration fair.

This included representatives from Bermuda Air Conditioning, the Hustle Truck, Bermuda Housing Corporation, Bermuda College, Workforce Development and four construction firms.

Personnel from Court Services, Social Insurance and Focus Counselling Services were also on hand.

Butterfield & Vallis dispatch manager, Frankie Harris, said: “We have been coming to this event since it first started.

“Butterfield & Vallis is committed to giving guys a second chance.

“Many of our staff now our testament to that.”

B&V warehouse operations manager, Harley Hayward, added: “We have had a good success rate of employees who have come from difficult circumstances.

“We get a number of recommendations and we have a well-thought-out programme in place to help employees once they join us. 

“Our boss Jim Butterfield is a very strong advocate of giving people a second chance.”