The world behind bars is a different world. The general image of a prison is one of stretches of dark, humid cells; the jailer, a cruel man brandishing a heavy staff, is corrupt and extorts money from prisoners in exchange for favors. This image is true to a large extent and perhaps the scenario is bleaker and more miserable in some cases. Sources say, though, that conditions in the Kingdom's prisons have changed for the better. A culture of respect for human rights and the rights of the inmates has been evolving and transforming prisons from places of detention and punishment into places of healing, reform and rehabilitation. A visit to the Najran prison allowed our team to discover what lies behind its high walls. Before he gave us a tour, the Director of Prisons in the Najran Region, Capt. Mohamed Saleh Al-Qahtani, briefed us about the role of a prison in our society and the services provided to prisoners. What we got to see was eye-opening. Contrary to our expectations, we found that the prison has a school, library, medical center, vocational-training center, a well-stocked kitchen, air-conditioners, water heaters, and a lot of work is still going on to make further improvements. Back to school “The school is operated in cooperation with Najran University; it is now the second year. Teachers from the school conduct courses in specially set up classrooms. There have been 24 inmates who enrolled in the University and there are 116 students in different grades, including 50 in the secondary school who hope to join Najran University next year,” Captain Al-Qahtani explained. Seventy inmates are being trained in a new building that cost more than SR4 million; it has five training workshops and will be fully functional next year. “I have joined the course on my own in order to acquire a skill so I can take up a job and feed my family,” one trainee told us. The Library was also well-stocked. There are more than 10,000 books and an audio collection, which are kept organized by the inmates. There is a large auditorium where lectures about religion and other subjects are delivered in different languages. “More than 700 lectures were delivered last year alone; seven of the inmates have converted to Islam. About 40 inmates visit the library in a day and more than 30 inmates have memorized the entire Holy Qur'an and 100 others are at different stages,” Captain Al-Qahtani remarked. Healthy minds, healthy bodies There is also a fully-functioning health center on the premises. “The Health Center is composed of two general clinics, a dental clinic, laboratory, pharmacy, ECG, X-Ray and an optical department. The center functions around the clock and between 30 and 40 inmates receive treatment on any given day. Psychologists and skin specialists visit the center regularly and an ambulance is always available,” Salem Al-Wadai, the director of the health center remarked. He added that one inmate has been airlifted to a specialist hospital in Riyadh for heart catheterization while another inmate receives regular dialysis in a Najran hospital. The center has also launched an anti-smoking campaign and in the last year, 84 inmates have quit smoking. More than 200 have joined the campaign. When asked about the absence of a separate clinic for women, Captain Al-Qahtani explained, “The clinic is within the women's dormitory and patients are attended to there; cases of child birth are transferred to hospitals outside.” To check on the quality of food served, we made it a point to visit the kitchen when lunch, rice, meat, green vegetables and salads, were being prepared. A prison employee was supervising the preparation and a nutrition specialist was also present. We found the refrigerators and the food store clean and tidy. What struck us most was that special food for diabetics and those with blood pressure-related disorders were available for the inmates who needed them. Out of touch Inmates told us that they want a full-time judge and an assistant to be provided at the prison in order to review their cases, especially because some inmates have been in the prison for a long time without a review of their situations. Two of them said they have been waiting for more than 18 months. There are eight furnished apartments where inmates may spend an entire day with their families. “The inmates get the much-needed relief from isolation when they meet with their families,” Captain Al-Qahtani said. There are also 20 telephone cabins inmates can use. We observed developments to improve the inmates' living conditions: water heaters were being installed and about 100 air-conditioners were awaiting installation. Colonel Ali Bin Ahmed Al-Shehri, Director General of Prisons, Najran Area, said: “We have nothing to hide or to keep secret; we are always available to the media. These prisoners have been entrusted to us for a purpose and we endeavor with patience and tolerance to fulfill our responsibilities.” He added that work in a prison needs a lot of patience. Our team expected the world behind the bars to be different, but we never expected it to be so positively different. This article was first published in Al Watan newspaper February.
