Faith-based groups gear up to resume spiritual work at Montagne Posée prison

Representatives from the various religious groups have met with Superintendent of Prisons, Raymond St Ange, along with Elsa Nourrice, head of rehabilitation, and Donald Zialor, rehab officer and programme coordinator for Project Phoenix at the Seychelles Prison Service (SPS), to discuss the resumption of faith-based support work with inmates.

This took place during their second meeting for this year.

The support provided by religious groups to inmates and those on remand had stopped as of March 16, 2020 amid COVID-19 and following directions of the prison authority as part of its management response to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection in the event of the pandemic spreading into the community.

For several years religious volunteers had made it their duty to be with inmates and remandees, an approach which has been strongly supported by the prison service.

“Last year Supt. St Ange made it clear to inmates that success for them in the rehabilitation programme could only come about if they participated first in faith- based approaches. It is for this reason we started to place a stronger emphasis on inmate participating in religious and spiritual activities. Prior to temporarily stopping the faith-based programme we were seeing 40% of inmates actively participating with the various religious groups,” said Mr Zialor.

“This meeting today (Tuesday) confirmed that the representatives from the Roman Catholic Church, the Islamic Society of Seychelles, Seventh Day Adventist, Pentecostal Church of Seychelles, and the Jehovah Witness, were eager and ready to return to their work with the prison service.

“We know that our inmates and remandees are eager as well to have the religious volunteers returning and that the re-start month of July will be well appreciated,” added Ms Nourrice.

Religious representatives participating in the faith-based programme with the SPS will be subject to health measures in place as a best practice approach and from guidelines by the Ministry of Health.