For the many prisoners released every day from the Kingdom's prisons, the punishment does not stop when they step out of the prison gate. Sure they have their freedom back, but they also have a host of challenges to overcome as they try to reintegrate into society. Rejection by society is their main problem. A recent study found that up to 77 percent of the public has turned their backs on ex-prisoners who had served their sentences for such serious crimes as drugs dealing. The study was conducted by Abdullah Al-Yousef, sociologist at Imam University in Riyadh, who examined the attitudes of 404 Saudi nationals towards ex-convicts. Once freed, ex-prisoners face the excruciating problem of trying to mend their strained relations with family and society. It's common for them to run into closed doors, especially in conservative communities, even if they repent. To help ease their problems, a campaign is starting today to help and rekindle in ex-prisoners the hope they must have all but lost behind bars. But such hope cannot survive on paper, meetings, and wishy-washy talks. Real work needs to be done. Al-Yousef's study found that around 50 percent of the public rejects ex-prisoners regardless of the nature or gravity of their crimes. The rejection rate is staggering but there remains hope, if not from the society, at least from the government for now. Ex-prisoners have been included in government programs to assimilate them back into society. The High Council of Prisons and Ministry of Labor have agreed to make every job provided by a private company to an ex-prisoner equivalent to two jobs in the tally of the Saudization quota to be attained. Even then, however, an ex-prisoner who has secured a job would find it difficult to redeem himself. Experts say Saudi society may now want to look further and accept reformed ex-prisoners back into the social sphere. Despite the fact that the ex-prisoners have been punished enough for their crimes, social intolerance is still widely prevalent, they say. Forgiveness is not forthcoming, it seems, and consequently even the children of ex-convicts are forced to bear the suffering, deprivation, contempt, and isolation. Comeback to crime possible According to Mazen Al-Attiyah, sociologist and member of Board of Arab Physicians, ex-prisoners should be emotionally and socially contained for gradual social immersion. However, he cautioned, if they sense no social acceptance in the process, there's every chance that they would relapse into criminal ways in anger or desperation. Employment is the best way to start reintegrating ex-convicts into society and preventing them from landing up behind bars again, he said. Citing a recent study to drive home his point, Al-Attiyah said that only two percent of ex-prisoners who had given jobs in the rehabilitation process ended up in prison again. In his view, much more needs to be done to tap into the positives of ex-prisoners and help them as they go through the process of rehabilitation. Guilty by association Punishment of a prisoner often goes beyond the walls of a prison to extend to the prisoner's family, said Hassan Thani, a psychologist at Teachers' College in Madina. This could negatively affect the family members' perception of society and instill in them a hostile attitude towards one and all, he said. Unable to shake off social rejection and financial hardship, the prisoner's family may collapse at any point, he warned. Daniya Al-Sharif, a researcher and author, agreed that financial problems and social alienation are the most significant factors affecting a prisoner's family. Nothing can justify making the family feel guilty for something it has not done, she said, noting that more than half of the public was found to refuse to marry their daughters off to ex-prisoners. Stats speak louder Al-Yousef's new study showed that the majority of Saudis bluntly reject any interaction with ex-prisoners. Such rejection, however, is proportionate to the severity of the offense committed, with convicts in drugs cases topping the rejection list with a 77.5 percent disapproval rating. The study found that the social rejection rate of those who have served sentences for crimes of morality, like adultery, was 68.8 percent. The rejection rates for other crimes were: 65.5 percent for premeditated murder, 62.4 percent for forgery, 61.1 percent for bribery, 55.2 percent for dealing in alcohol and 52.7 percent for theft. The worst perceived and shunned by society were those guilty of murder, drug peddling, and immorality. On the other hand, the study found that up to 90 percent of the public did not find crimes such as accidental murder, debt or street fights severe enough to hinder social reintegration. Call for tolerance Al-Yousef's study, nonetheless, found a tiny spark of tolerance in society, which prompted him to recommend a more integrated program to ease their social re-entry. For the most rejected group, those convicted for dealing in narcotics, he recommended social interaction with them as a first step towards keeping them away from being entangled again in the drug-peddler network and ending up in jail again. More media campaigns and educational awareness programs should be in place to expedite the rehabilitation process, especially among the less educated public, the study recommended. Current committees do not work Many experts have argued that the existing committees tasked with helping prisoners and their families have not done much to help. The family of a prisoner who has spent two years in a Najran prison has not received help in any form from these committees, said Saleh Suwaidan, the prisoner's representative. “No clothes for Eid or school materials have been given to the prisoner's children,” he said. The prisoner, the father of the family, has 6 more years to spend in prison. “Who is going to take care of the family until then,” he said. What they get from Social Security is barely enough for them to eat, he said. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, a head of prisoner help committee in Najran, said the committees are crippled by want of financial support. “What we receive in government funds and donations is not enough,” he said. “It is the biggest obstacle.” Insufficient funding of prisoner care committees was also the contention of Ahmad Al-Harthi, head of the prisoner care department in Tabuk. Fawaz Al-Shehri, director of the prisoner care department in Najran, explained how the committee works. Once convicted, the prisoner is interviewed to determine if his family qualifies for financial help, he said. If he refuses to talk about his family situation, social workers would visit his family to see if help is needed, he said. Beyond financial assistance, Al-Shehri said training programs should be provided for ex-prisoners and their family members so as to prepare them for a working life and thereby a normal life. They also should be given loans to start their own business, he said. Prisoners are part of the social fabric who often unfortunately fall into a bad situation, said Abdul Illah Abdulmajeed, director of prisoner care department in Jeddah, who argued that the entire society must therefore stand by them and their families. “If supported and provided with proper education and training, they will come back to us and help the society move forward,” he said. Bad things happen to good people, and “it is just inhumane to shun them away,” he said. Prison authorities speak out Chief of Tabuk Prison Col. Saad Al-Thubaiti wondered that if the public believes that prisons are rehabilitation facilities rather than punishment dens, why not then regard the larger society outside as the greatest social rehabilitation center? Society should give ex-prisoners a chance to return with the full force of positivity, he said, lamenting instances of ex-prisoners who had taken a straight path after prison having chosen to return to prison on being rejected by society. Col. Al-Thubaiti said Tabuk Prison has created an “ideal ward” where well-behaved and disciplined inmates are housed. Inmates who pray on time and memorize the Holy Qur'an can compete for a place in the ward, he said. This has encouraged many prisoners to shed their bad habits, he said. – Okaz __
