As part of a study carried out at the end of October 2020 by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), on activities aimed at helping inmates to reintegrate after having served their prison sentence, the RNDDH noted that only 5 of the 20 penitentiary spaces visited (19 prisons and a police station) had a training program for prisoners. These are the Reintegration Center for Minors in Conflict with the Law (CERMICOL) and the civilian prisons of Croix-des-Bouquets, Cabaret, Carrefour and Fort-Liberté II.

In the 16 other penitentiary spaces concerned by this study, there has been no training available for inmates for several years.

54 juvenile detainees are held in CERMICOL. This prison center offers, in addition to classical continuing education, five 12-month courses : computers, plumbing, shoemaking, tailoring and English. The courses are spread over a period of 12 months. Laptops as well as sewing machines for computer and sewing lessons are available within the prison grounds.

The civil prison of Croix-des-Bouquets, which accommodates 1,443 prisoners including only 487 convicted, formerly provided a sewing course and has several sewing machines to ensure a good learning of inmates.

At Cabaret Women's Prison, the 238 women and girls who are incarcerated there have access to academic and vocational training. 5 courses are given : cooking, computer science, English, macrame and sewing. For cooking lessons, ovens and utensils are made available to learners. For computing, more than 20 laptops have been donated to the facility. Likewise, for sewing, sewing machines, metric tapes and other necessary materials are available.

At the Fort-Liberté II civil prison, 3 rooms have been set up to offer 5 courses to inmates. These are literacy, crafts, painting, farming and sewing. Available since 2018, these training courses allow inmates to prepare for their return to society. Steps are currently underway to set up training in fish farming within the civil prison of Fort-Liberté II.

Download the complete study "Social reintegration of prisoners: diagnosis of the situation in Haitian prisons" (PDF) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/10-Rap-Prisons-2020-27Oct2020.pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre