I'm sure the place has a more formal title but saying "I went to Lira's Men's prison" today conjures up enough images that a formal name is not necessary.
I have to admit that I was a little uncomfortable with the idea of visiting the main prison in Lira. This is the prison that houses all the criminals. They get arrested, they go to the police station, they go to the prison.
Wait? Isn't there a court case somewhere in between?
No.
There are 463 men waiting trial and 71 convicts. These men can wait up to 2 years for their trials for crimes including drugs use (marijuana and cocaine), fighting, witchcraft, defilement, and murder. There are also people suffering from mental health issues like PTSD who don't even know what they did and yet they are in jail. And witchcraft? I can say that you are sending your spirit to torment me or that your spirit killed my baby and then you go to jail. Those cases often get thrown out of court but as the accused, you have to wait UP TO TWO YEARS to have your day in court.
Today, as we waited one hour in the visiting room for the Commanding Officer to meet us and say hello before we could actually enter the prison, a new group of inmates was brought in. They were handcuffed to a partner and had to shuffle in in a squat position. They were then searched and led into the prison. The only washrooms were in the visiting room where we were seated so these men came in carrying their flipflops, put them on as they went into the washroom, then carried them back out. Some of them couldn't have been more than 20 years old. Some looked terrified.
Once they were led in, a group of men were led out. They were in casual clothes instead of the prison yellow shirt and shorts and were going to court. Most of them would not have known it was their day in court until the day before so they have no time to prepare. And there must have been 20 of them who were led out to the one courtroom in Lira. There is no way they would all have their cases heard today.
After our hour in the visiting room which I thought was a holding cell but there is actually a mesh window along one wall so the prisoners can sit on the other side and talk to you for 5 minutes, we were led to meet the commanding officer. Remember André the Giant? This was his sister. A lovely but imposing woman. I would never want to be on the receiving end of her switch. We spent 5 minutes with her to say who we were and then we were led to the door to enter the prison area.
The door opens to a large square courtyard where close to 600 men are seated on the ground playing cards or ludo, watching a movie, making baskets, or just hanging out. We stepped into the area and walked with the assistant commanding officer as he told us about the programs and the inmates. The men just continued about their business and while some made eye contact and we exchanged a hello and how are you, most didn't pay us much mind. There is a volleyball court in the middle of the courtyard with a great net but they have no volleyball to play.
The inmates are from all professions and walks of life. And they use the inmates to teach the others skills for once they get out. They have carpenters, brick makers and layers, cooks, and construction workers who are training those who want to be trained.
The group that touched me the most were the seven inmates sitting under the proverbial mango tree, writing their school exam. The youngest was about 25 and the eldest was in his 60s and they were writing their P1 and P2 government exams. That's grade 1 and 2. These are men who have never been to school, who do not speak English, who are learning the language and learning to read and write in order to educate themselves while they are in prison. No-one is forced to do it. There is an inmate who is a teacher who uses the two chalk boards and teaches these men to read in a new language.
The literacy exam was taped to the board. There were 2 questions in the exam:
1. Draw these foods: banana, carrot, cassava
2. Shade this picture (so they had to copy the picture on the piece of paper and then shade it)
If they passed, they moved on to the next grade.
Denis and Jennifer from CCVS said that the teacher had asked them for paper and pens for the students but they had no money to buy them. I think we will have a suitcase full of them next summer when we return. Our schools have so many supplies that are just thrown away: pencils, erasers, pencils crayons, workbooks, opened packages of looseleaf so why not let these men have them if they are trying to be educated? And apparently the CO is very strict about items donated for the prisoners. If a guard is caught with a pen that was meant for the prisoners, she charges them with corruption. So we know the items will be used by the intended people.
I know, I know, they are prisoners. Some have committed terrible crimes that don't bear thinking about. But some are also sitting there falsely accused. We have no way of knowing who is who but for those who are trying to better their lives, why not give them a fighting chance?
I told Bree that we should have brought a volleyball so that we could have played a game or two with the inmates. I think she thought I was crazy. But I never felt threatened or uncomfortable. Just sad.
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