Prison agriculture programmes building pride, skills and self-worth among inmates

Agriculture programmes within the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) are playing a key role in building confidence, discipline and a sense of self-worth among incarcerated individuals, while also contributing to food production within the prison system.

Superintendent of Prisons David Shepard, on a recent televised programme, said the impact of these initiatives is evident in the pride displayed by inmates involved in farming and aquaculture activities, particularly at facilities such as Timehri and Mazaruni. “They say a picture tells a thousand words, and looking at the joy on the faces…when they harvested – I think it was 220 pounds of tilapia – that says it all,” Shepard said. He explained that inmates were involved in the full process of rearing the fish, from the earliest stage to harvest. “To know that they reared these tilapia from… the hatchlings, those little things, all the way to big two-pound fish… to know that, yes, I have value, I can do this, and I did it.” According to Shepard, agriculture programmes go beyond food production and serve as a personal development tool for inmates. “This is a sense of personal pride for the inmates, because again, it’s about hope, it’s about personal value, to know that I have value, I can do things, I have potential.” He noted that inmates receive both theoretical and practical training, which allows them to see tangible results from their efforts.

“It’s about transferring what you learned in the classroom… to the practical setting, and yield the results that they yielded. Welfare Officer Dawn Sumner-London said agriculture programmes are particularly appealing to inmates who already have small farms or gardens in their communities. “Most of the inmates, especially the older inmates, they are more eager to learn agriculture because most of them have a little farm at home… and with training from the prison, they are able now to go back into society and to improve on the farm.” Officials say these initiatives help inmates develop confidence, discipline and a renewed sense of purpose as they prepare for reintegration into society. The aquaculture initiative, launched in 2022, is a significant step for the prison service in promoting self-sufficiency and rehabilitation. Spearheaded by the Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture Station, the project involves rearing red tilapia at Timehri Prison and is part of a broader pilot programme aimed at enhancing the prison’s self-sustaining food supply.

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, has praised the project for extending GPS’s rehabilitation efforts. “This initiative not only supports our self-sustaining food-supply programme but also helps inmates develop new skills and discover their talents,” Elliot noted. The tilapia rearing is just one element of the GPS’s agricultural programme. Over the years, the GPS has successfully cultivated a wide variety of vegetables and fruits across its farms, further contributing to the rehabilitation and self-sufficiency goals of the institution.