-training targets leadership, mental health response as part of prison reform efforts

AS Guyana’s prison system continues to shift towards reform and corrections, the University of Guyana (UG) and the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) have formally launched two accredited courses for correctional officers.

The newly introduced courses, Strategic Leadership for Senior Management Correctional Officers and Introduction to Public Speaking and Effective Communication for Correctional Officers were both unveiled on Tuesday during the Guyana Prison Service’s ongoing Annual Senior Correctional Officers Conference being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

Marking a significant step in the country’s efforts to develop its correctional system, the courses were developed through research and are designed to address documented gaps in officer training, mental health support, and institutional leadership. Both courses are accredited by the University of Guyana and will seek to have all of Guyana’s correctional officers benefit, creating yet another major step towards developing and revolutionising Guyana’s correctional institutions.

Opening the event on a note of gratitude and development through a virtual presentation, Vice-Chancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin highlighted the work and commended the team behind the course.

Spearheaded by the university’s Institute for Human Resiliency, Strategic Security and the Future (IHRSSF), each course is specifically geared towards correctional officers.

Emphasising the importance of the venture, Dr. Mohamed noted that the work of correctional officers is vital to national security. “The work of securing the country is not simple work. Often, persons in the background, persons working in these very risky situations, and persons who have to contend with special conditions such as those in the prisons, we often forget them because they are not in the public domain at other parts of these services,” she said.

Moreover, the far-reaching impact of the courses was highlighted, as Professor Mohammed shared that these courses and their participants will play a major role in the national development of security, and Guyana’s shift towards reform. “I hope with happiness that there is a trajectory for transformation and reform within the prison services and the Ministry of Home Affairs,” she said.

Forming the basis of the initiative is a Mental Health and Neurological Course. Giving a detailed overview of the course, Dr. Melissa Ifill, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences, said it was carefully crafted and based on robust, recent research.

Conducted between 2018 and 2022, the research focused on mental, neurological and substance abuse disorders and employed a series of methodological approaches to conduct structured interviews with prison officers. These findings, Dr. Ifill explained, formed the basis of the course.

“Coming out of that series of methods, we were advised that there were a number of stress and trauma stresses and trauma experienced by prison officers,” she added.

Highlighting the sentiments shared by the officers, Dr. Ifill stated that many of the common hurdles raised were about insufficient psychiatric and psychological assistance, fear and trauma attached to their jobs, and high levels of stress. This, Dr. Ifill explained, highlighted systemic issues.

The course was conceptualised as a way of training prison officers to do two things: practise self-care and identify triggers. The course covers basic knowledge of responders, signs, symptoms, types of mental, neurological, and substance abuse disorders that exist, as well as basic management of these disorders, recognising emergencies, and how to safely manage them within the prison context.

Delivered through two phases, the programme will also seek to sensitise officers on working with a diverse range of prisoners, better understanding their needs and how to de-escalate potentially violent situations.

The research, Dr. Ifill emphasised, is vital to the success and impact of the course. “What I think is particularly important is the fact that it’s all based on research. And not just is it based on research, but the courses that we’re designing are essentially a custom thing. There are a lot of generic courses out here that might come from context and circumstances that are not endemic to us individually.”

She added, “These courses are based upon our reality, and so it satisfies our specific needs. And our context.”

TIMELY

Sharing insight into the Strategic Leadership for Senior Management Correctional Officers course, Lecturer Dr. Mishel Moriah said the course is timely and has been carefully designed to strengthen the leadership capacity of senior correctional officers.

The four-credit postgraduate course will be offered over a period of 15 weeks, and graduands will receive an accredited micro-credential certificate in the context of correctional leadership.

Highlighting the content of the course, she added, “The course will enhance strategic thinking and leadership effectiveness. It’s also expected to strengthen ethical decision making and accountability for participants. It’s expected to promote institutional reform and performance improvement, and also to advance communication, stakeholder engagement, and crisis leadership.”

Officers wishing to join the course must hold a recognised bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, while professional experience is also cited as a way of entry. Additionally, applicants must be nominated by their organisation.

The course will cover an introduction to correctional leadership and the foundations of correctional leadership, in addition to correctional policy and reform, ethics, integrity, and professional conduct.

The method for teaching these courses will be blended modality, with both online and in-person classes.

Students, Dr. Moriah added, have already been enrolled. “We have already started enrolling students, participants, through the application process. We provide one-on-one guidance on how to apply.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Prisons Kevin Pilgrim put the addition of the courses into a wider perspective, highlighting that this comes as part of the Prison Service’s efforts to align itself with the correctional standards of the wider Caribbean.

“What the Guyana Prison Service is trying to do is to align itself with the wider Caribbean, not just stand-up, but to align itself with the wider Caribbean.”

He added that while this initiative forms just one part of that push, the GPS is committed to continued growth and a Caribbean correctional service.

“The Guyana Prison Service is committed towards that process. We will humble ourselves; we will share our resources; we will seek to collaborate with everyone who has that vision and is pushing towards a unified Caribbean. And we will one day see a Caribbean correctional service,” he added.