In Jamaica there are three main prisons ,Tower Street General Penitentiary, St Catherine General Penitentiary and Fort Augusta Plus there are some Retention Centres for minor offenses . I applied for a meeting with Major Reece, superintendent ruling the penitentiary system, in order to discuss about overcrowding, medical assistence, food, rehabilitation programmes ,abuses and wardens corruption.I got two meetings and I had to state his will to cooperate and to accept critics and proposals.Since May 10 Amnesty International can partecipate to projects concerning penitentiaries. I have been invited to visit Fort Augusta at the end of July and I had a very long visit to the Retention Centre in South Camp Road and in Tower Street. South Camp Road is ruled by a female superintendent and its atmosphere is not too negative .A good relationship betewwn staff and prisoners, some free space, the cells looks clean,a lovely garden cured by the prisoners, woodmaking ,tailoring, computer laboratories, some areas for school classes,a doctor in place.The prison is not too crowded because there are 237 prisoners where it can hold 300.Prisoners cultivate vineyards producing pop chow, cabbage, callallo, and carrots for their own institution and for Tower Street.Some of its profits goe to the prisoners themselves..Since mid September we will be able to carry on a mini stage on civil and human rigths. Tower Street penitentiary, Kingston downtown. It is a sort of castle with towers where armed wardens are controlling.An iron gate at the entrance, which is not allowed if you are not dressd up church style, long sleeves and no miniskirt.We have to leave cellulars and we have been searched. The penitentiary hosts 1500 prisoners but it has been built for 850. We are touring together with the superintendent and he does not allow prisoners to talk to us.I am surprised to see that the cells are not very clean but also not overcrowded. They face long verandhas with grills and there is an amount of washing up spread to dry all over.There are buckets with fecis because in the cells there are no toilets so they use the buckets which can be emptied once per day Their smell is terrible.Some prisoners have small flower pots, shoes and slippers are out form the cells.Since Major Reece is running the penitentiary there are more hours out from the cells .from 9 to 11.30 and from 14.30 to 18.At meals time they have to go back to their cells and each prisoners has his own plate. Food looks quite disgusting and prisoners buy at the expensive inner store or get food from relatives on visting days- I reported to Major Reece the abuses towards women visiting. In the last weeks there is an investigation on wardens corruption.One of them per week has been fired and the ones guilty for violence and corruption cannot be back on duty.Wardens training has been brought up to 20 weeks and a regular salary is Us 630 per month. It has been set a post box to report wardens abuses which is important because they have a lot of power and their corruption is legendary while they are mainly responsible for the climate of fear in the various penitentiaries. In the inner yards sun is hot and we tour the various laboratories .When we pass through many of them call me and being a woman is not a privilege while my locks grant me some respect.We visit the infirmery where there is a doctor and a prisoner as assistant.Dentist is in place once per week, and since 4 months there are 4 psycologists touring the prisons.In all the penitentiary system, there are 11 doctors, 3 dentists and a serious lack of nurses A drop in the ocean. In the infirmery there are several medical utensiles and an X Ray machine.There is an AIDS free screening because it is widely spread in jail. A next dramatic problem it is mentally ill prisoners.because in Jamaica they are locked up in jail where they are phisically and sexually abused by other prisoners so that they loose any chance to be rehabilitated.Major Reece is trying to host them in diffetern structures such as mad houses and mentally ill centres and half of them have been transferred already But still there are too many of them in prison and they go around like zombies walking close to the walls to avoid cruel jokes and beating up. Laboratories are in the wings of the prison.We visit the tailoring centre where there are 30 prisoners workin ,They saw the uniforms of the other prisoners and of some staff.Many of the sawing machines are not working so the lab is not fully operating. Beside this lab there is a welding lab ,25 prisoners building grills, gates and pipes. The school area looks more lively .There are around 300 students but they do not follow their courses regularly. The quality of their teachers is poor . There are classes to learn to read and write up to computer classes. There is a library with several book and the students from the computer course are preparing advertisements for factories and shops. The most relevant lab is the music one where there are 50 prisoners .When we reach over there there is a bunch of them rehearsing and as soon as they see us they organize an instant show.For a while I forget where I am because the music is wonderful and the performers have a stage appearence just like the Sumfest artists.It is a miracle breaking down any wall and any fence.Jah Cure joins us and sings a couple of songs while many prisoners show up in the wide room.This lab is the bigger hope for the introduction of a rehabilitation programmme.,the first real project joining prisoners to outside community. In the music hall there are some instrumentis, they look old and over used,plus it is just a few of them so it is hard to play .In the next room you can recognize where Jah Cure has shot his video, and it has been built to record. The instant show ends up in a general enthousiasm and thanks to the Superintendent.Then I have a talk to Jah Cure and ask him is Fifth Element can help wiht some instruments .It does not look like but Cure offers some help even if he hopes to be out on parole pretty soon. The idea they are workin on is a record with two Jah Cure songs and all the others from prisoners and to launch the album in the penitentiary. but there are too many instruments missing and so the lab is in stand by Also prisoners from other penitentiary should be part of it but nothing is going on.Asking what is needed I am told that the most urgent things are 8 acustic guitars ,two sax, a clarinet,2 guitar amps,2 base amps,drum sticks and books to study theory., plus some cd players with headphones. Nothing too hard to get and maybe with your help we can buy them It would be beautiful, it would be useful and this is why I am seeking for your help. As you can see on Reggae Zion web there is already a committment and the guitar which is the symbol of this campaign It is from Ale and it is the very first step to raise consciousness and funds. Nuff love Maria Carla Stand up for Jamaica.org Nuff love Maria Carla