Eighty-one inmates from prisons in Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and Honduras were sent home just ahead of the Easter holidays when the charity organization, Food for the Poor (FFP), secured their release.
Thirty-seven inmates were released from prisons in Jamaica, 16 were released in Haiti, 21 in Guyana and seven inmates from a prison in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Food for the Poor conducted the release during Holy Week by paying outstanding fines as part of its international Prison Ministry Programme
“We all make mistakes and we all deserve a second chance. Food for the Poor is here to grant you that second chance by paying the fines to ensure that you spend Easter, and everyday thereafter, with your families and friends,” said Prison Ministry Administrator, Sandra Ramsey told inmates at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Jamaica.
“Our only request is that you remember God’s love at this time and make every effort to stay out of prison…do not return.”
Ramsey said most inmates are forced to spend time behind bars because of an inability to pay the fines associated with charges that include simple larceny, traffic offences, unlawful wounding and breaches of the Copyright Act.
In addition to paying the fines, FFP also provided cash for transportation and lunch, as well as a gift package containing toiletries. The former inmates were also instructed to contact FFP after the Easter holiday where a process will be initiated to help them start an entrepreneurial enterprise.
FFP’s prison releases are conducted twice a year during Easter and Christmas. Since the inception of FFP’s Prison Ministry Programme, the charity has assisted in freeing, training and reintroducing non-violent inmates into communities as productive citizens.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/asianet/130409/food-the-poor-secures-release-81-prisoners