Up Front
Tales from H. M. NorthwardPrison -Peter Gooden Survived a 'Wake Up Call'
Her Majesty'sPrison in the district of Northward, at times called a 'hotel'- has been a home away from home for convicted felons of manycallings: Accountants, Realtors, Bankers, Ex-Policemen, Ex-ImmigrationOfficers, even Ex-Prison Officers, as well as 'lifers' and a fullretinue of criminals, from 14 to 65. One of those, who was releasedearly and deported, was recently killed in Jamaica following analleged drug transaction, which went wrong.
Accordingto Northward's former prison Chaplain: "there have been andcontinue to be too many recidivists (those who continue to returnto prison)". It is claimed that the lack of rehabilitationprogrammes while incarcerated is also the reason why prisonerswho are not able to cope with society, get back to their old hauntsand eventually, another conviction and jail term.
As the Islands' penal institution, Northward at one time housedclose to an overcrowded 300-plus inmates, which was the reasonfor a riot, which came as a 'wake up call' for the Cayman Islands.Out of the fires of the riot, broken homes and hearts.
One of thosewho is determined not to contribute to the statistics as a recidivistis Peter Gooden. He is our subject for a new exclusive series.Here is his story:
Did you ever have one of those nightmareswhere you're being chased and you can't run, can't scream? Nomatter how you much you shout in your inner mind, you open yourmouth and nothing comes out. You are frozen in place, unable tosave yourself. Scary but it's only a dream. One from which youwill wake and go on with life as usual.
Now imagine this: It's 5:00 a.m., you'resnuggled fast asleep in your bed, suddenly police break into yourhome, yank you out of bed and rip through your place looking forsome kind of evidence. It's like a dramatic scene right out ofthe popular TV show, Cops. But this is no dream and no TV show;it's reality. A stark reality for 33-year-old Peter Gooden whofound himself sentenced to eight years in prison for crime heinsisted he did not commit.
Oh sure, you say, everyone in prison adamantlyprofesses, I didn't do it!
But after spending 31 long months in prison,the courts agreed, there was not enough evidence to prove guilt.On March 23, 2001, Peter O'Neil Gooden walked out of prison afree man.
Lest you think that he believes himselfan innocent victim of circumstance, Peter would be the first totell you he is not. He clearly has a string of offences behindhim. The key words here being: behind him. He freely admitsthat: "I wronged and I can't live in denial but I have tolet go."
Few among us could blame Peter if he werebitter, if he would some how seek retribution against his captorsand those who sentenced him. He spent two and half years in prisonfor a crime he did not commit. Amazingly, Peter is not bitter.Instead this soft-spoken man with gentle green eyes has very strongideas about government and family responsibility toward youthand about improving the penal system.
Peter voraciously researches the Internetreading about prison reform. His ideas are not founded on theoryalone. While incarcerated, Peter implemented a program that trulymade a difference to both inmates and the society at large.
How is that one man headed toward a careerin crime suddenly rehabilitates and another man under similarcircumstances turns into a career criminal? It's a question continuallyasked by psychologists and social workers. There is no one easyanswer.
Peter found his answer in his son, Andreand his mother. He finally grew up and decided he wanted to bea better father and better son. Those are strong motivators tochange, but Peter also understood that he had to change.And change is rarely easy.
Recognizing he needed help, he enrolledin Cayman Against Substance Abuse (CASA) programmes, which taughtvaluable skills like anger and stress management, time managementand parenting techniques. He immersed himself in learning andtransformed his life. Today, he runs his own removal company calledGooden and son. He clearly wants his son to have a different childhoodthan he.
Peter, as he describes it, was a troubledyouth. At age 12, he found himself in reform school in Jamaica.Though a petty crime got him into that situation, he found himselfamongst more hardened criminals. The system did not rehabilitatehim instead he found himself engulfed in a cloud of criminals.Gangs formed, resulting in the Caymanians versus the Jamaicans.
"They stole our soap and shampoo,"recalls Peter, "fights would break out over a cup of Milo."
To survive in this wild dormitory world,he had to defend himself.
Fortunately, Cayman no longer sends waywardyouth to Jamaican reform schools. And fortunately Peter finallyfound a more honourable way to live his life. But it wasn't easy,and according to him the prison system here is vindictive ratherthan reformatory and therefore the recidivism rate is high.
Though there were some projects in place,Peter found they were lacking. Instead of wasting away in prisonwaiting for appeals, Peter decided to do something productive.He had learned some construction skills from his stepfather andwanted to pass on what he knew to others. "It's importantthat people leave prison with some kind of skills," saidPeter, "if you give them a trade, you give them work forlife and they'll have less reason to be criminals."
Peter developed a program called, ANTS,Active Northward Training Scheme. Their motto is working in thecommunity for the community.
"Ants work as a team," explainsPeter, "unity is their strength."
Taking the lead from nature, Peter provedthat inmates could change and become contributing caring membersof society. The ANTS team accomplished a lot in a very short periodof time. In conjunction with an established program called "ProjectPrepare" the ANTS team completed a number of projects, theseare just a few:
Built the Field of Dreams
Built a 3-bedroom home for a needy single mother
Refurbished the Hospice Care facility
Landscaped the playfield for ICCI College
Rebuilt the prison after the 1999 riot
Peter also speaks to youth groups and cautionsthem against placing rappers on pedestal. "You can't leadthe kind of lifestyle those guys rap about," said Peter,"you'll end up dead or in prison."
If you don't believe him, let the recordspeak. Tupac Shakur didn't make past age 25; he was killed ina drive by shooting while heading to a party. Ditto for NotoriousB.I.G. (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls) who was gunned down in 1997. Andjust this past May, Freaky Tah of the Lost Boyz was murdered executionstyle with a single gunshot into his head. All three of theserappers were under 30 years old when they died. The list of convictionsand offences of other rappers form a lengthy list.
Peter urges youth to build a strong foundationfor themselves and to live their own lives. "Take time toget what you want," said Peter, "if you get it fast,you lose it fast."
Though Cayman is still relatively safe,crime, especially youth crime is on the rise. Burglaries, streetfights and kids carrying machetes and guns are becoming more andmore common. According to Peter, we have to get the kids off thestreets. "The best thing parents can do, "advised Peter,"is spend quality time with their children."
No one would disagree with that, in factexperts preach that kids need guidance and firm limits. He advocatesfor after more school programs be they athletic, musical or artistic.He urges government to get behind Cayman's youth by creating moreof these kinds of programs.
"Very few people who go to prison,"said Peter, "make it when they get out." He calls fora change in how inmates are categorized. Traffic offenders, white-collarcriminals and especially juveniles don't belong with murderersand rapists. Look what happened to him when he was a 12-year-oldin reform school - hardened criminals helped turn a juvenile delinquentinto a repeat offender. Peter had the inner strength to change.Most people don't. And that's why the system needs to change.
According to Peter, community service mightbe a better way to serve time for petty crimes. His ANTS programproved inmates want to be productive members of societyif given the chance. Will all criminals suddenly be squeakyclean if more programs like ANTS are developed? Of course not.But more of them will and that's a start.
Peter talks about marriage and more childrenin the future. But right now his focus is on developing youthprograms and maintaining the ANTS project. He was assured by theGovernor, Mr. Peter Smith that it would continue. Like many worthwhileprogrammes, Peter got help and support for ANTS. His mentors includeofficer Leonard Jervis and Jean Solomon of Project Prepare.
Peter continues to work with ANTS and urgesothers to volunteer their time, money or materials.
"I know what it's like to be down," said Peter, "Idon't ever want to go back, the way I see it now, the sky's thelimit."