Volunteers key to visitation program at HMP
Prisoners at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary (HMP) in St. John’s, especially those who don’t receive regular visits from family and friends, are eligible to participate in the 121 Prison Visitation program provided by the John Howard Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
It’s offered on a one-to-one basis, hence the name 121.
A prison volunteer committee oversees the program, made up of representatives from the John Howard Society and HMP. The committee is responsible for volunteer recruitment and selection and the ongoing development and evaluation of the program.
The program pairs prisoners with volunteers for ongoing friendship based upon a minimum of two visits per month, providing contact with the non-institutional community and a chance for the visiting volunteer to have a lasting influence.
The volunteer could serve as a link to the prisoner’s family with the guidance of the coordinators. Volunteers can also be a friend and support following a prisoner’s release, helping them during the reintegration process.
“Rehabilitation has to be therapeutic, where (inmates) can learn and do better,” said Cindy Murphy, executive director at the John Howard Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. “It will place them in an environment to do better. It is tough to do that at HMP.”
Additional counselling services and rehabilitation programs offered by the John Howard Society at HMP include:
Anger management for moderate-risk and high-risk clients.
Family Violence – OASIS, a program for people who have been convicted of threatening and/or assaultive behaviour against an intimate partner or family member.
Criminal Behaviour Awareness, a program offered in conjunction with anger management and designed to target risk factors such as antisocial attitudes and values, pro-criminal associations and substance abuse.
Intermittent Sentence Workshop, a two-day weekend workshop targeting impaired drivers.
Sex Offender Intervention for moderate-risk offenders convicted of sex-related offenses. Clients are assessed and enter into counselling to address specific risk factors.
Annual Family Prison Visit — through financial support from the Correctional Service of Canada and the co-ordinated efforts of institutional staff, inmate committees, John Howard Society staff and volunteers, transportation and accommodation are provided for families of Newfoundland and Labrador inmates serving sentences in federal institutions in the Maritimes.
“Because of the absence of a federal prison here, we send 15 to 20 family members to visit their loved ones,” Murphy said. “This is a four-day trip, a unique thing, that we do once a year. Corrections Canada recognizes the need for contact with family members.”
Prison Library Program, staffed and operated by John Howard Society volunteers.
C-step — a program offering intensive rehabilitative services to offenders and exoffenders in the community, through individual counselling and group interventions. It covers two major areas: cognitive restructuring and employability skill development.