Prison chief Judith, a woman among men

By OLIVE SUKUN
JUDITH Tara is following in her husband’s footsteps – as a prison commander.
Chief Superintendent Judith, 60, is the commander of one of the biggest prisons in the country at Buimo in Lae, Morobe. She is the only female among the 22 jail commanders around the country.

“ In the prison, it is important to watch the welfare and hygiene of prisoners and of course pay attention to their court matters which can frustrate them.”

Her husband John, now retired, was also a prison commander. In fact, it was his occupation that forced Judith to quit her work as a community development officer to join the Correctional Service 34 years ago.
She resigned as a community development officer because John was constantly being transferred to prisons around the country making it difficult for her to keep her job.
“I resigned and joined CS in 1986 which made it easier for me when he was transferred to another institution.”
Her first posting was to Baisu Prison in Mt Hagen when John was its commander at the time. She started as a private before slowly making her way up the rungs until promoted chief superintendent.
“Life as a mother at first was hard because my husband and I had two children then aged two and three when I joined.

“Our first born is a girl so eventually she was able to manage the house with the support of our relatives during operations. It was challenging for the family.
“My inspiration is my husband because I want to do the work he has done, and other female officers who have gone ahead of me.”
Judith is from Amoa village in Morobe. She has four children and five grandchildren.
“The prison environment is tough but the work is made easier when you work with male officers who do much of the work on the ground. The female colleagues are always there giving moral support.
“I’ve been in there for some good years now and normal operations happen every day. You must be able to stay strong to make decisions and handle all different situations.”
She thanks God for giving her the strength and wisdom to overcome all the challenges and situations “in the tough prison environment”.
“In the prison, it is important to watch the welfare and hygiene of prisoners and of course pay attention to their court matters which can frustrate them.”
She sees overcrowding as one of the biggest problems she has to handle. Buimo which has a capacity for 600 inmates now accommodates around 1000. She wants the prison extended to make it easier to manage and for the welfare of those being detained.
She wants to see prisoners rehabilitated and return to society after serving their terms as better citizens.
“I want to see a safer community where our mothers and girls will walk around without fear.”
She is thinking of retiring soon to spend some time with her grandchildren and help out with women groups where she can. And her advice to women is never to give up.
“The job I do is not easy (but I give it my best). I want to say to all the women out there who go to work to give your best at all times. Don’t just sit there and wait for something to happen because it will never happen until you raise your hand. Make a move so that you are recognised among the men that you can do the same task as them.”
Judith should know. She is speaking from experience.