ABC Secretariat urges prisons’ officers to be positive
The Executive Director of Attitudinal and Behavioral Change (ABC) Secretariat, Dr. Ivan Agibola Thomas, has on Monday 10th October 2011 called on prison officials to be positive in their attitude towards prisoners and their work. He made this statement at a meeting with various national heads of the Sierra Leone State Prisons Department at the Sierra Leone Prisons Headquarters, New England Ville Freetown.
The Executive Director said inmates are not well cared for by the prison officials, adding that the prisoners’ food is not properly prepared. He observed that their beds are not fit for them to continue lying on, saying that sanitation is a serious problem within the confines of the prisons throughout the country. “…prisoners are treated badly because they are prisoners…” he noted, this he said is a negative attitude which needs to be stopped by the officials.
Dr. Thomas said the prisons are congested throughout the country. He singled out the Pademba Road Maximum Prisons, which he said was not built to accommodate the current number of inmates it is housing. He added that people should not be sent to prison for what he described as “petty crimes”.
The Executive Director stated that prison officials are part of the justice chain in the country. He reiterated that the role of the officials is to work with the police and the judiciary to provide safe housing for those who are in conflict with the law. He maintained that most times, prisoners have escaped from prisons through the aid of some prison officials.
The Second-in-Command and National Coordinator of ABC, Nanette Thomas reiterated that the role of the ABC is to help Sierra Leoneans change their negative attitude, noting that change of negative attitude is very important if the country is to develop. Madam Nanette Thomas encouraged the officials to read books on positive attitude and behavior, citing out “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson M.D. and “Attitude Is Everything” by Jeff Keller
The National Coordinator said positive change is something that is difficult to be attained. She urged them to accept positive changes as it pivotal to the development of a nation. Madam Nanette defined positive attitude as “the thing that helps someone reaches the brighter side of life’’, while negative attitude is self defeating and destroys someone. She pleaded with them to leave their personal problems at home, saying that they affect the output of their work and those around them.
The National Coordinator reminded the officials of their role to rehabilitate and clear the mindsets of inmates. He admonished them to desist from the habit of giving drugs like marijuana and alcohol and the like to prisons.
She said the Secretariat would only succeed to change the negative attitude of prison officials if they start to do the right thing.
The Acting Director of Prisons, Sanpha Bilo Kamara congratulated the ABC Secretariat for the good work it is doing and called on his colleague senior officials to accept and adopt the message of the ABC in the interest of national development. Mr. Kamara told other officials to be very accurate when supervising their juniors. He advised them not to forget to supervise themselves by making sure that they do the right thing.
Head of Corporate Unit Superintendent of Prisons, Ahmed A. Turay confessed that some of them saw themselves in everything that was said, adding that they are working very hard to positively shape the behaviors of prison officials.
He expressed the need for words on positive attitude and behavior to be written on cards and placed on the walls in every office within the prisons so that they could be remembered by the officials.
By John Sorsor Samura, Intern
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