Halfway home: Inside centre preparing convicts for life after serving jail time

The hum of a modern tailoring machine fills one of the workshops at the Rwamagana Social Reintegration Centre as Grace Mpinganzima carefully guides a piece of fabric beneath the needle. Her hands move steadily as she adjusts the fabric, checks the stitching and continues sewing. For Mpinganzima, the machine represents more than vocational training. It is part of a second chance she says she never imagined when she was first sent to prison. The 35-year-old mother of three from Musha Sector in Rwamagana District was convicted of robbery and sentenced to two years in prison. ALSO READ: Rwanda upgrades half-way homes to boost rehabilitation, reduce recidivism As her sentence neared its end, however, freedom brought its own uncertainty. She had served her punishment, but was unsure how she would rebuild her life outside prison. Before being transferred to Rwamagana, Mpinganzima was incarcerated at Ngoma Prison in the Eastern Province. “When the court found me guilty, I felt desperate and hopeless. I did not know what a prison looked like and I thought being jailed was equivalent to death,” she said. She eventually adapted to life behind bars and underwent correctional programmes. But one question remained: what would happen after prison? “In prison, you feel ashamed and you always wonder what the outside society perceives about you and how they will treat you once you are released. You also wonder where to start from once you are released,” she said. Her transfer to Rwamagana changed that outlook. “After coming here, I felt relieved,” she said. Mpinganzima spent six months training in hairdressing before undertaking another six months of tailoring. The training has given her practical skills and, perhaps more importantly, a sense of direction. “When I go out, I plan to start my tailoring training centre, when I get the means,” she said. “I have skills in both hairdressing and tailoring and I can use either to make a living. I want to start my own job and create other jobs for young women who are desperate.” Mpinganzima is among 215 women currently accommodated at the Rwamagana Social Reintegration Centre. Preparing for life outside In another room, Marie Francoise Uwamahoro works on a colleague’s hair. The 36-year-old has been trained in hairdressing, manicure and pedicure—skills she hopes will help her secure employment or start a business after her release. ALSO READ: What to expect as gov't opens halfway homes Uwamahoro was convicted of drug dealing and initially sentenced to 25 years in prison. Her sentence was later reduced to eight years after she cooperated with authorities. “When I was jailed, I felt worried and confused about how my life would look like as a female inmate. I was worried about myself and my children because I had left no one else to take care of them,” she said. Her time in prison introduced her to social reintegration programmes aimed at helping inmates understand the consequences of their actions, take responsibility and develop values that can help prevent them from falling back into harmful behaviour. “We were trained on how to live with others while in prison as well as in society,” she said. Uwamahoro was later transferred from Mageragere Correctional Facility to Rwamagana, where preparing for life outside prison became more practical. “Life here is different. We are trained in hairdressing, manicure and pedicure. I have acquired all these skills and I hope they will help me get a job once I am set free to go back to society,” she said. But she says the lessons extend beyond vocational skills. “They train us on how we will behave in society when we are released. I believe the combination of this holistic social reintegration process will help me live well in society, create my own job and live a better life,” she said. Uwamahoro also expressed remorse over the crime that led to her incarceration. “I went astray and committed a grave crime that I regret the most,” she said. She credits the centre with giving her an opportunity to prepare for a different future. “This facility is different from prison. We live a better life and acquire hands-on skills which are helpful to us when we get out,” she said. A bridge back home Senior Superintendent Olive Nzayisenga, Director of the Rwamagana Social Reintegration Centre, said inmates approaching the end of their sentences are transferred there to prepare for their return to their communities. “The facility helps inmates who are about to complete their sentences to get prepared to go home. We equip them with hands-on skills,” she said. Unlike conventional correctional facilities, Rwamagana operates as an open facility, with fewer security restrictions and a greater emphasis on rehabilitation, practical skills, family ties and preparation for life outside prison. The centre offers training in hairdressing, manicure and pedicure, tailoring, handicrafts and weaving. Others receive training in modern agriculture. Inmates also undergo training in career development, entrepreneurship, mental health, drug prevention and conflict management. The programme is designed to address both the economic and social challenges former inmates may face after release. The aim is for them to leave with not only a skill that can generate income, but also the confidence and social skills needed to rebuild their lives and reconnect with their communities. The centre itself includes dormitories, workshops, a health post, kitchen, multipurpose hall and store. Inmates also have opportunities to receive and interact with family members. They can, under arrangements made through the programme, leave the centre to visit family and friends for certain social events. Officials say such interactions are intended to rebuild family relationships and make the eventual transition back into communities less abrupt. Nzayisenga said the centre also works with local authorities to support returning inmates and connect them with cooperatives and other economic opportunities. “We work with local leaders to engage them so that they can include them in communities and in cooperatives to work the development journey with others,” she said. From skills to livelihoods The programme’s ultimate test will be what happens after the women leave the centre. According to the centre, more than 150 women have completed the reintegration programme and have since been released. Officials say feedback from some former inmates shows that they are using skills acquired at the centre to secure employment, establish businesses and generate income. The women have also been given opportunities to demonstrate their skills publicly. At an exhibition in the Eastern Province in the past three weeks, female inmates displayed products made through tailoring and weaving. They also demonstrated hairdressing, manicure and pedicure skills and provided services to customers. For Mpinganzima, such opportunities have strengthened her belief that prison does not have to define the rest of her life. She wants to turn her new skills into a business and use it to help other women. “I plan to start my tailoring training centre and offer change to women who may feel desperate through training them. That will be my way of making an impact,” she said. She hopes that, once she secures the necessary resources, she will employ other young women. The Rwamagana centre currently accommodates female inmates, although plans are underway to extend the programme to men. Officials describe the initiative as the first phase of a pilot programme. If successful, similar facilities could be established in other parts of the country. For women like Mpinganzima and Uwamahoro, the centre represents more than a place between prison and freedom. It is a bridge back to family, work and community and an opportunity to ensure that a prison sentence does not become a life sentence outside its walls.

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Halfway home: Inside centre preparing convicts for life after serving jail time