Seven prisoners home for holidays after Food for the Poor pays fine

GUYANA - Food for the Poor (FFTP) has paid the fines of 79 nonviolent offenders for Christmas. They were held in some of the most notorious prisons throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

Many were arrested for stealing to feed their families or for something that would be considered a minor offence. For more than two decades, Food for the Poor has honoured the tradition of freeing nonviolent offenders from prisons in Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Jamaica by paying their fines in time for Christmas. In Guyana, Food for the Poor paid the fines of seven nonviolent offenders who were sent to prison for simple larceny or minor traffic offenses. David, one of the seven, was fined US 91, money neither he nor his family had. He spent six months in Timehri Prison. On the morning of his release, David and the six other men expressed gratitude to Food for the Poor President/CEO Robin Mahfood in a telephone conference from the Food for the PoorGuyana offices. “This year, 79 non-violent prisoners have been set free for the Christmas holidays, thanks to generous and compassionate donors who support the charity’s prison ministry”, Mahfood said. “We are not here to condone or to pass judgment on anyone who was arrested and sent to prison for a nonviolent offence. We believe in God’s mercy and second chances, because second chances are an opportunity to correct the wrong and to choose a better path in life. Each newly freed person was greeted by Food for the Poor staff who prayed with them. Each person also received a copy of the Bible, a meal, personal care items and traveling money. In Haiti, the road to desperation is being led by poverty, civil unrest and gang violence. Near-daily protests are taking a toll on the 11 million people in the Caribbean nation, making day-today living nearly impossible for the destitute. Food for the Poor has also paid the fines of 50 men, two teens and one woman in Haiti. All were arrested and sent to prison for stealing. Most were arrested for taking a cow, a pig or in the case of 14-year-old Jerry, a goat. Jerry, from Ouanaminthe, said his mother died and his father abandoned him so he became a shoeshine boy to make money. He admitted he took the goat to sell, but the teen was arrested and locked up with hardened criminals for two months before Food for the Poor learned about his situation and paid his fine. “I want to thank you for giving me back hope”, Jerry said. “I will go back to my daily life to make some money and feed myself.”

Rosette, 43, a wife and mother of eight, spent nearly six months in a Fort Liberté Prison after she stole items from someone to sell to feed her family. Rosette was beside herself with joy to learn her fine had been paid. She knew her six months could have turned into years.

(Kaieteur News)