DOHA: For some inmates of the Qatar Penal Institution and Correctional Administration, freedom means the ability to create and express themselves through art.
The fruits of their artistic labour were displayed at the Qatar National Convention Centre as part of the 13th UN Crime Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
“The Ministry of Interior (MOI) firmly believes that its main mandate as administrators of the correctional system is rehabilitation, not just handing out punishment,” said Major Jassim Al Kaabi, Head of Rehabilitation and Care Section of the Reformatory and Penalty Institutions Department.
The rehabilitation programme includes training in art, carpentry, English, computer literacy and vocational courses. Currently, 50 inmates are engaged in producing paintings and making traditional boxes and various handicrafts.
Paintings, apart from letting the artists express their inner feelings visually, have proven to be lucrative as well. Many of the paintings of the inmates are sold during exhibitions in Qatar and abroad.
There is also an online store on the MOI website on which interested buyers can browse, select and buy. The proceeds of the sale are split equally between the inmate and the Correctional Administration who uses the funds to purchase art materials and other supplies.
Prisoners can send the money to their families and pay off their debts. The materials purchased are of the best quality, be it canvases, water and oil colours, brushes, and others.
A professional art teacher delivers lectures and provides guidance to nurture and develop the artists’ skills. There is a fully equipped studio where the artists do their work. Prisoners who are part of the rehabilitation programme get bigger financial allowances and other benefits. Motivational parties are likewise held from time to time.
Every year, a special exhibition in Doha called ‘Prisoners Week’ showcases not only paintings but other handicrafts and works by the inmates to the general public.
“The rehabilitation programme lets inmates make good use of their time in prison,” adds Major Al Kaabi. “They can use the skills that they develop to find a job or start their own business once they are released.”
Many ex-convicts have actually opened their own shops and have found jobs in government agencies, through the help of the ministries and the Qatar Social Rehabilitation Centre.
“Our job doesn’t end with the person’s release,” said Major Al Kaabi. “We check on them until they are employed. This assures their reintegration to society and is the biggest reward of the program for Qatar.”
The Peninsula
