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Prisoners find healing through art

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Two prisoners serving life sentences for murder may never be free men again. However, one of the rehabilitation programmes in the prison service has afforded them the freedom to express themselves through art.

Alladin Mohammed and Leslie Huggins, so captured the imagination of San Fernando mayor Kazim Hosein during the 2015 Prison Expo at Gulf City Mall that he commissioned them to do two historical paintings—one of the original Town Hall constructed in the 1930s and another of  a building when San Fernando achieved city status in 1988.

One of the paintings, which will be displayed on the walls of the San Fernando City Corporation, was handed over to Councillor Robert Parris on behalf of the mayor recently at the launch of the Prisons Outreach Community Caravan. 

Acting Commissioner of Prisons Cecil Duke lauded Hosein’s initiative, saying it is the first time in the history of the rehabilitation programme that a prominent public official had given inmates such a task. 

“This is one part of the whole reintegration process. We are hoping the wider society will grasp what we are trying to sell, embrace it and help in achieving the objective of reintegrating these individuals when they return to society.”

The inmates thanked Hosein for the opportunity and his confidence in their ability to undertake the two projects. Incarcerated for the past two decades, Mohammed, 41, has become the prison’s art instructor.

One of his top students, Huggins, has been incarcerated for the past 17 years. He said art has changed his entire mindset. Huggins is hoping to one day be reintegrated into society.

“I have plans to set up an art studio and bring in trouble youths and introduce them to art, to see what they have, train them and teach them to market their work so they could earn an income and society would be a better place,” he said.

Serving life sentences
Alladin Mohammed is serving life sentence for the murder of his common-law-wife Sheila Ramkissoon.

Leslie Huggins is incarcerated for the 1998 murder of Thackoor Boodram. He along with Damien “Tommy” Ramiah, Bobby Ramiah, Seenath “Farmer” Ramiah, Michael “Rat” Maharaj, Samuel Maharaj, Daniel “Fella” Gopaul,  his brother Richard Huggins, Mark “Bico” Jaikaran and Junior “Heads” Phillip were sentenced to death by Justice Stanley John.

In 2008, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.


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