Overcrowding in the prisons will soon become something of the past.

THAT'S THE promise from the Minister of National Security Mr. K.D. Knight. Our male prisons are pe rhaps the only institutions where it can be reasonably argued that time has stood still in regards to progress. Despite a number of investigating commissions together with varying recommendations, very little has changed in the system under which a significant number of our Jamaican men are incarcerated. In fact, with the increase in the numbers of young criminals, and the resulting limitation of available prison cells, there has been a marked deterioration in the physical conditions over the year.

If ever there is a misnomer, it is the description of these places as adult correctional institutions. These are effectively centres of human degradation. Our real problem is the proclivity for aping the developed countries of the world, instituting cosmetic name changes without any local relevance, confusing in the process intention for reality and form devoid of substance. Somehow there is the feeling that it is possible to effect a name change without attending to the details which are essential for institutional transformation.

Prison conditions must therefore have a deleterious effect, not only on inmates, but also upon those who are responsible for their well-being. It is not unknown for the level of dehumanisation experienced by those imprisoned to be transferred to those who have oversight over their well-being.

I believe that the time has come when something must be done to improve the physical conditions of these places of incarceration.

There is no reason why on the dawn of a new millennium, we should not try to create humane institutions with the objective of rehabilitating those who have offended society.

One of the basic tenets in the theory of punishment is that it should serve not only as a deterrent but should also aim at the reformation of the offender. Punishment geared towards rehabilitation, should seek to turn bad persons into good persons.     Prisons should be places where offenders are taught certain principles leading to a more worthwhile existence; where unemployables are given certain basic skills; and there is a new appreciation for some of the values which will inure to a more civilised existence. Within a controlled environment, with adequate resources, committed personnel, and a well thought out programme of rehabilitation it should not be beyond the realm of possibility to effect certain attitudinal changes.

The time has come when a measure of creativity should be introduced in sentencing those who have committed certain wrongs against society, so that only those who are guilty of very serious offences are incarcerated in these places. I believe that the sentencing of persons to do community service should be an option which is used more frequently. Persons who do not pose a threat to the security and safety of society should be required to work in infirmaries for the poor and destitute, in children's homes, in private voluntary organisations, and institutions for the handicapped.

They should be required to assist in the maintenance of police stations, the repairs of public buildings and keeping our main thoroughfares in a state of repair. This method, if instituted, would ensure some benefit to the over-burdened taxpayers. It would also give a measure of satisfaction to those who have been wronged and offer an appreciation for work in the minds of those convicted.

Why should someone convicted of owing a debt be placed in a penal institution? Judges should not believe they are 'going soft' on punishment when the scales of deterrence, satisfaction and rehabilitation are evenly weighed. There is no reason why as a country we should remain trapped in the 19th century. The developed countries of the world have introduced all kinds of novel ideas in the sentencing of offenders. The British Home Secretary Jack Straw is reported in last Sunday's issue of the Sunday Times to have recommended a system where persons convicted of certain offences are to be imprisoned from nine to five each day and permitted to go home at the end of the day. This has been proposed to prevent the breakdown of family relationships and to reduce the cost of keeping certain inmates.

This is the vision which is needed to move us purposefully into the future.

Dr. Webster Edwards works in the inner city and is Executive Director of Operation Friendship.