The Tribune

By Sancheska Brown

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

TWENTY TWO young men completed the first phase of the government’s “shock treatment” programme yesterday, with National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage branding the new initiative a success – despite the “noise in the market.”

At a closing ceremony yesterday for the troubled youth, Dr Nottage said he hopes the changes in these young men, will show the Bahamas that the government is serious about reducing crime.

The programme was created for students with disciplinary problems. It involves taking the teens to Her Majesty’s Prison, the morgue and graveyards, showing them what life would be like if they continued down the wrong path.

The students were also scheduled to spend a night in a cell, but Dr Nottage said they “changed that part” after opposition from the public.

“Do you know that they accused us of wanting to take black Bahamians back to the middle passage? They said we were treating them like slaves. We didn’t even start the programme yet, they didn’t even listen to what we said, but they got on their horses and criticised before anything happened,” Dr Nottage said.

“Sometimes I wonder what kind of country is this paradise I live in, that we are so intent on breaking up things before we build it. I ignored the naysayers and we modified the programme, changed it because I wanted this programme to start and be successful and I did not want us to be attracting negative bias. So I thank you parents, who loved your children enough and had faith in us to help them make right choices and teach them what they should reject and accept.”

Alice Dean Francis, a mother of one of the boys, said before the programme she had given up hope that her son would be good. “This programme is the answer to my prayer, I could tell you this. My son, Mervin, oh boy he has great potential, but something went wrong somewhere. I visited his school for the third time and that was it, I realised there was nothing else I could do.

“I just had to reach out further with my prayers. Mervin is the bully in the home, he has a terrible attitude and he does not know how to speak to people properly and he just says this is my way and this is how it goes. He has great leadership skills and he is very helpful, but his attitude scares me.

“I love him, I love all my kids. I have ten kids and I have two sets of twins and one of the twins Mervin controls him totally. My son needed help. I was so glad when I got the letter to come to that meeting, I was going to walk there if I had to. Mervin is really terrible in school and I need help. Me and my husband cannot do it alone and I thank God for this programme and I really hope this changes my child.”

Prince Moss, one of the participants, said he decided to change his life on the first day, when he went to Fox Hill Prison and saw the “hell” the prisoners went through.

“On our first day of shock treatment we went to Fox Hill Prison,” he said. “Prison isn’t a place to be. It is not a place for a human being. It takes away your dignity, your pride, your health, everything. Trust me, I see 15 of my friends up there.”

“I didn’t hardly talk to them but the expression on their face tells it all. The programme actually gave me the chance to bury the hatchet with an enemy that I now call my friend. I had a good time with the crew and I won’t mind coming back, but I hope it won’t be for nothing bad and it’s for volunteering.”

The second phase of the programme will begin in June. According to Dr Nottage, the government will continue to monitor the young men involved in the programme for two years and intervene, again if necessary. He said the benefits of the programme should be shown in the next 24 months.

Dr Nottage also stressed that no child was forced to join the programme.