Initiative resettles prisoners back home

Lae News, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday, May 3, 2011

By GABRIEL LAHOC
FINSCHHAFEN district’s Ex-Convicts Rehabilitation Programme’s (ECRP) partnership with the police and correctional service and all village clans, will now see ex-convicts assisted into setting back in their communities in the district.
This was the message of hope given to about 70 Finschhafen prisoners and juveniles by ECRP coordinator and Buimo ex-convict Eric Steven and Finschaffen MP Theodore Zurenuoc during their visit to Buimo jail last week.
Steven, who was described as “an agent of change” by his leader, now leads with example after having served nine years from a 16-year jail term for his involvement in a hijack and robbery act in 1998.
His team of volunteers has rolled out the programme in Finschhafen by visiting more than 200 villages in the district, and educating the people to accept prisoners back into the community and families.
“We work with the families, who will be expected to make accommodation for the ex-prisoner available, allocate a piece of land while ECRP will assist in sourcing and providing agriculture resources for the ex-prisoner to venture into economic activities,” Steven said.
According to Zurenuoc, they have now changed from grouping and addressing the people in wards and communities to dealing with them in their small clans.
This, he said, was more effective.
The outcome of the programme will see ex-prisoners change and have sound spiritual, physical, mental and economical knowledge to fit back into societies.
Buimo jail commander Timbi Kaugle has been requested to compile a full bio-data of all Finschhafen prisoners to hand to the district.