Kelly

Behavioural scientist and counsellor, Dr. Grace Kelly, of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) says prison warders need more basic training in counselling to help them deal with some of the daily issues facing inmates.

Dr. Kelly was responding to an issue raised by an inmate in today's Sunday Gleaner after he claimed he was beaten by warders after they discovered he had tried to kill himself. She argues the warders could have acted out of fright, fear, anger or frustration.

They could have been frightened to see that something like this could have happened, or they could have been angry, or afraid of the consequences they would face, Dr. Kelly suggests. She adds they could also have been frustrated with the prison system and the frequency of the incidents.

However, Dr. Kelly says if the person beaten accepts the beating as a measurement of love and care, then the beating might help to prevent any further attempts, but that is only, ?if?, she notes, and not necessarily the case in most circumstances.

It could have pushed the person into a deeper sense of depression because if the person was being abused, it could cause him to attempt suicide again, she advises.

Counselling

She says in cases where an inmate is beaten bya warder or prison official for attempting to kill himself, both the warder and the inmate should be taken in for counselling. She adds, however, that what people need to do generally is learn to control their emotions and try to understand the circumstances before they react.

Currently, warders receive a six-week training course in basic counselling upon entering prison facilities. The island?s prisons are also equipped with a chaplaincy unit, the Correctional Services say, which offers counselling services to both warders and inmates.