Over the past months the mass media have used every opportunity, whether based on fact or not, to criticise the management and staff of the prison. On Saturday December 11, a bazaar was organised in the grounds of the Central Prisons which unfortunately no reporter found interesting enough to write about as it gave an insight into some of the excellent work that the guards achieve.
The items on sale at the bazaar ranged from paintings, icons, needlework, knitting, jewellery etc and were all made by the prisoners, either with the help of members of the staff or volunteers, but also with other prisoners passing on their skills.
The money collected from the sale of these handicrafts was given back to the prisoners which for some of them meant their only opportunity to purchase telephone cards, or even buy a present for their children.
The guards and officers who organised the bazaar worked hard to ensure the event was successful and you could see they shared with the prisoners a sense of satisfaction and pride as people bought the handiwork. Coffee and cakes were also offered.
Although I am not a member of the prison staff, I have been visiting the women’s wing for many years and observe with admiration the way many of the guards are able to enforce discipline and yet show compassion and concern to those women whose circumstances are often very unfortunate. Around 70 per cent of the women are foreign and they are shown the same respect and consideration as the Cypriot girls who comply with the rules.
The satisfaction and pleasure one gets from making something with your hands is well known, but for a person in prison the rewards are much greater: It is work that is mentally beneficial, reduces stress and negative emotions but it also brings dignity and self worth, qualities which probably were absent when the person came into prison.
The fact that the authorities made the effort to organise the sale of this handiwork, also giving satisfaction of money earned shows that there are some prison staff who offer much more than what is expected of them, but unfortunately their work is rarely reported.
Name and address withheld
