TOWARD MEANINGFUL REHABILITATION: HATTIEVILLE PRISON IN

UNCLAS BELMOPAN 000120

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/CEN CHRISTOPHER WEBSTER AND CHRIS ASHE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR BH
SUBJECT: TOWARD MEANINGFUL REHABILITATION: HATTIEVILLE PRISON IN
BELIZE


1. (U) Summary. Hattieville Prison (also known as Belize Central
Prison and the Kolbe Foundation) is Belize's only prison. With an
inmate population of approximately 1,470--including men, women and
youth, the prison provides on-site medical care, dental care via
referrals, and mental health assessments by a visiting psychologist.
Operated by a non-governmental organization with the goal of
maintaining a facility geared toward meaningful rehabilitation and
the successful re-integration of inmates into society, the prison is
at near-capacity and has multiple housing facilities, educational
and vocational courses and three rehabilitation programs that rival
any other services of their kind available in Belize. End Summary.


2. (U) Background. Management of the Hattieville Prison, located at
Mile 2.5 on the Burrell Boom Highway was taken over by the Kolbe
Foundation in 2002. Kolbe Foundation is a private, non-governmental
organization established by members of the Rotary Club of Belize.
The organization is named after Maximilian Kolbe, the World War II
Catholic priest who became the patron saint of prisoners, because he
gave up his life to save another prisoner. Its mission is to make
the prison a secure, humane facility geared towards meaningful
rehabilitation. To that end the prison has developed many programs
in support of the successful re-entry of prisoners into society when
they are released.


3. (U) Finances. Hattieville Prison's current funding from the
Government of Belize is a BZ$13 (US$6.50) daily-reimbursement per
prisoner, a total of approximately BZ$6,975,000 (USD 3,487,000) each
year. However, some programs (especially the rehabilitation and
youth programs) receive additional funding from independent sources,
interalia, Michael Ashcroft, a wealthy British businessman with
interests in Belize, and the Wagner Foundation.


3. (U) Facilities. Hattieville prison includes seven (7) minimum
security buildings, maximum and medium security areas, a "supermax"
section for inmates who pose a high security risk, a women's
building, the Ashcroft Rehabilitation Center and the Wagner Youth
Facility. The prison also includes a school building used for
education and meetings, exercise areas, basketball courts, a
cafeteria, agricultural and poultry training farms, on-site staff
housing, administrative buildings, and a man-made lagoon with fish.



4. (U) Construction. Buildings are quite rustic, and usually bare
concrete. Cells generally contain 2-4 beds (2 bunk beds) per room
and a sink. Often cells have a window, and the doors are usually
kept open-except in high security areas. Buildings are usually only
two stories in height and have long hallways. Many of the buildings
are separated by iron fences and have narrow entry ways.


5. (U) In-Processing. Upon entering the system, new inmates go
through an intake procedure and are assigned to their area of
Hattieville prison based on a security assessment and their status
in the legal system. Prisoners who are remanded until their trial
are generally placed in a specific area of the prison--as are women
(who go to a special women's section) and youth (who are placed at
the Wagner Foundation for Youth). U.S. citizens and other foreign
nationals, who are at Hattieville due to immigration violations, are
often placed together in a section.


6. (U) Population. Hattieville Prison has approximately 1,470
inmates at present, counting men, women and youth. Women make up
only 2.6 percent (a total of 38 inmates). An additional 3.1 percent
(45 total) are juvenile prisoners between the ages of 12-18. The
prison is currently designed for 1,500 inmates. A new building set
to open in 2009 will increase its capacity to 1,700.


7. (U) Americans. There are usually no more than ten (10) AmCits
within the prison system at any one time, with three to four of them
being held for immigration violations. Immigration violations
typically result in a fine levied or a 6-month stay in prison, with
an order to leave the country issued after either payment of the
fine is made or the jail term is completed.

a. Some AmCits have not been charged but are in remand until
arrangements can be made for them to leave the country. This might
include prisoners with a mental disability. Other AmCits have been
charged and served their time, but are in prison beyond 6 months due
to challenges with their repatriation to the U.S. and remain at
Hattieville with an order of removal status. This allows prison
officials to legally have the inmate in their care until their
repatriation can be arranged.

b. Other AmCits are serving longer prison terms for more serious
crimes. This might include rape, murder, weapons/ammunition
violations, or arson. These AmCits are usually housed with the
general population of the prison within the medium and super-max
areas, as needed.


8. (U) Staff. There are approximately 265 staff at the prison,

currently--70 civilian and 195 uniformed. Additionally, there are
prison volunteers, including three chaplains. Most staff work
12-hour shifts day and night, while a small group works a normal
8-hour day shift. Generally, staff work in full-week rotations,
working seven days on and getting seven days off. Security staff
currently make approximately USD 500 monthly, have life insurance,
and can use the prison clinic for health care. The Belize Institute
of Management in Belize City is one of the main training resources
for staff.


9. (U) Prisoner Health Care. According to Hattieville prison
administrators, prisoners have a range of health care provided to
them, either through direct, on-site care or via referrals to
providers in Belize City.

a. The prison has an on-site, full-time doctor and two additional
medical staff. Prisoners can request a visit to the clinic and have
only a short waiting time for an appointment.

b. Depending on the severity of the health need, prisoners may also
be transferred to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, Belize's largest
public hospital, for care that may include x-rays or more
complicated blood tests. Prisoners are also taken to Belize City for
dental care.

c. There are monthly mental health assessments by a visiting
psychologist. Currently, the prison has approximately 60
mentally-challenged inmates. Prison administrators feel the services
they provide are better than what is available in most hospitals in
Belize.

d. Unfortunately resource constraints limit health care that can be
provided, whether it is preventative or acute care. One example of a
limitation is that HIV testing is not mandatory because of cost.
While the national prevalence of HIV is estimated at two percent,
prison administrators there is estimate an average of 4-5 percent
within the prison population. Currently, prisoners with HIV live
side-by-side with sero-negative members of the general population of
the prison. All inmates with HIV receive anti-retroviral therapies.
Related to HIV, the prevalence of TB among inmates is a cause for
concern for prison administrators.


10. (U) Vocational Training. Prisoners can gain vocational
experience by joining programs that include training in woodwork,
jewelry-making, welding, cement-block forming, and farming. A gift
shop just outside the prison sells some of the items made by
inmates. A part of the proceeds is used for prison expenses, and
part is passed back to the prisoners. Through their work and through
funds provided by family and friends, inmates are allowed to have a
"cash account" from which they can withdraw funds on a limited basis
each week. The prison hopes in the future to move to a cash card
system for managing inmate finances.


11. (U) Rehabilitation Services. Currently, Hattieville is the only
major institution in Belize to provide rehabilitation services.

a. This service includes Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics
Anonymous 90-day programs. The programs started in 2006, have a
maximum capacity of 100 participants for each cycle, and are taught
by ex-prisoners and ex-addicts--who also serve as peer counselors.
The rehabilitation programs are behavior-based and are for inmates
with any type of general addiction. Inmates enter voluntarily, with
the knowledge that their participation improves their chances for
approval of parole. The programs include basic education, peer group
activities, testimonials, detoxification diets, separate (on-site)
program housing, vocational training, computer classes, and other
activities. Inmates who complete the program may be released
depending on their circumstances or placed in special post-program
housing which includes aftercare support meetings and activities.
Additionally, family members are sensitized regarding recovery
issues and the support they can provide to their enrolled family.
The programs also accept civilian participants, who agree to be
admitted into the prison and become a part of the population.

b. The prison has a Christian-based, volunteer-run Narcotics
Anonymous and Emotional Abuse Anonymous program. Inner Change for
Freedom Belize (IFFB) is an 18-month rehabilitation course that was
first offered in 2003 and graduates a smaller cadre each year. Like
the other programs, IFFB includes rigorous scheduling,
program-specific housing, academic training, physical exercise, and
support groups.


12. (U) Recidivism Rates. Prison administrators estimate that among
those who have been convicted, there is a general 20-25 percent
(Note: a more precise figure was not available. End note.)
recidivism rate - often for parole violation or another commission
of crime. Inmates who have gone through the rehabilitation programs
and released are invited to participate in support groups that have
been established outside of the prison community. Among

rehabilitation participants, the recidivism rate is estimated to be
17 percent.


13. (U) Embassy Cooperation. Prison officials have held ongoing
meetings with staff of the Consular section from the U.S. Embassy.
While many of the meetings have been informal, some of the latest
have included representatives from either the Embassy Consular,
Political or Security sections, Embassy Belmopan Front Office,
Belize Immigration, and prison security and administration. The
outcomes of the meetings have included mutual agreements that will
benefit not only the U.S. Embassy, but other embassies with their
citizens represented in the prison population. Some of the
clarification of rules/procedures include: visiting and telephone
usage hours expanded for embassy staff who are working with their
citizens, monthly reports sent to the embassy by the prison
providing current data on the citizens who are incarcerated, some
prisoner access to the Internet if this access will help facilitate
the inmate's release from prison, the allowance of toiletries and
some limited food items provided by the embassy to inmates, and
specific inmate update meetings held with prison administration upon
request. Both prison and immigration officials have expressed
enthusiasm with regard to improved working relationships and
communication with staff at the U.S. Embassy.


14. (U) Communications. Communication is a definite challenge
throughout prison facilities. Inmates normally have no access to the
Internet and few office areas have Internet access for staff. Often
the prison staff use their personal email accounts for work.


15. (U) Reception. The front reception area is incredibly busy with
"gatekeeper staff" who act as receptionists, security, drug, and
paraphernalia screeners, and administrators. There are only two
telephone lines available for the majority of calls made into the
prison. This results in frequent busy signals when the public
(including Embassy staff) telephone the prison. Additionally once
prison staff takes a call, they may not be able to transfer it
because of lack of telephone connections to most buildings and lack
of an inmate database. The limitations on telephone calls are
mirrored when calling to the outside. Inmates must pay for their own
calls, arrange calls by asking for favors, or resort to attempting
to make collect calls through the operator. Oddly enough, the prison
does have a public address system, which is used as a radio station
broadcast to provide music throughout the facility and send public
announcements.


16. (U) Information Interchange. Sharing of information remains a
challenge among local police stations, immigration offices, the U.S.
Embassy and Hattieville prison. Although improvements have been
made, it may take more than 24 hours before the Embassy hears about
an arrest. On some occasions, an AmCit will be processed by a local
police station and transferred to Hattieville before the Embassy is
aware of them being in the system. Sometimes, the Embassy is not
notified of arrests until the day the citizen must appear in court.
Similarly, AmCits have been released from Hattieville or local
police stations without the knowledge of the Embassy. Occasionally,
Immigration has come to Hattieville prison to pick up an AmCit for
deportation without first notifying prison administrators; and
although motivated by concerns, the prison's policy of not notifying
a prisoner of his/her exit date until the day of departure makes
coordination awkward.


17. (U) Prisoner Documents and Belongings. An important item
discussed in numerous meetings between Embassy and prison officials
is the security and tracking of an inmate's belongings. It is common
for a passport, driver's license, or birth certificate to end up
missing or to be misplaced for a time.

a. There is some question regarding the safety of general
belongings, as well as credit and/or debit cards, and cash. The
problem occurs particularly when an inmate is transferred from
office to office within the incarceration system -- i.e., between
various police stations, immigration lock-up, and Hattieville
prison. The transfer of a prisoner may occur in response to their
need to face several charges in different jurisdictions or to attend
court. Everyone who discusses this matter agrees that once an inmate
is transferred and separated from his/her belongings, problems will
surely begin. Discussions are still ongoing with regard to putting
in place a system whereby belongings (in particular IDs/documents)
can safely follow along when an inmate is transferred or be
delivered to/picked up by the Embassy. Hattieville prison
administrators are confident they have a safe and secure system to
protect prisoner documents and belongings. However currently, not
all prisoners who arrive at Hattieville have all of their items with
them.

b. In a few cases, assistance to AmCits has been delayed while
police or immigration officials look for the inmate's passport or
original birth certificate. In one case a released AmCit almost
missed his flight because his passport was locked away for safe

keeping, and the officer in charge had left with the key. In another
case, an officer had taken an inmate's belongings home for safe
keeping and had to go home to retrieve them.


18. (U) Prisoners with Mental Health Issues. While Rockview Mental
Health Center in Rockville was an option for care for AmCits with
mental health issues, the new Palmview Center (in Belmopan),has
replaced it as a long-term care facility. It was unfortunately
already filled to capacity before it was even opened. With the
limited resources of the smaller mental health clinics and hospital
wards throughout the country, this leaves Hattieville prison as the
remaining option for AmCits with mental health issues. Although the
physical surroundings are more secure and better than at Rockview
Mental Health Center, the inclusion of U.S. citizens with mental
health issues as part of the inmate system does present problems.
One issue is that not all prison guards have training equal to the
standards of care that would be provided by mental health
psychiatric nurses who staffed Rockview when it was open. Similarly
inmates with mental health issues are not separated but mixed-in
with populations who may not have patience or knowledge of how to
interact with persons with mental health disabilities. Additionally,
mental health assessments or care at the prison can happen only
through a special referral or during the once-a-month visit of the
psychologist who is assigned to the area by the Government of
Belize.


19. (U) Nutrition and Other Needs. While administrators state
inmates are provided with three meals daily, many prisoners complain
about the food; and almost all AmCit prisoners lose a fair amount of
weight while they are incarcerated. Often, AmCit mention the need
for fruits and vegetables, more meat, and various toiletries and
paper goods. When appropriate, the Embassy provides small items to
the prisoners-with the support of prison officials. These items
include toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo and
conditioner, pens, pads of paper, and breakfast bars. The Embassy
has also provided razors and bug spray--both distributed and
monitored by prison staff, as needed.


20. (U) FUTURE PLANS FOR HATTIEVILLE PRISON. The prison staff is
quite enthusiastic about their plans to strengthen the prison's
rehabilitation programming. Their main goal is to assist inmates
with their re-entry into society and ensure they have the
opportunity to gain skilled employment. To this end, prison
administration seeks to broaden vocational programming to include
seven core trades: mechanic, electrical, plumbing, woodwork,
welding, agriculture, and horticulture.
They also seek to add more literacy training.


21. (U) Additionally, prison administrators hope to add more job
skills training for staff and would like to raise the level of
security training, as well as provide better equipment to civilian
staff and security officers.


22. (U) Construction continues on new buildings for medium
security, as well as new exercise areas. Additionally, prison
officials would like to improve the financial state of the prison.


23. (U) The prison's website is www.kolbe.net. POC at post is David

M. Jones, tel. 011-501-822-4011, extension 4219, email
jonesdm@state.gov.

DIFFILY