By Martha Louise – EMTV News, Madang
Beon Correctional Institution in Madang is looking into at re-introducing a cocoa project as one of its rehabilitation programs in the prison.
Beon CS Commander, Chief Inspector, Andrew Polis, says there is an existing cocoa plantation in the area.
However, it has not being used for a long time. Thus, prisoners are now clearing the plantation area to have it ready for them to plant new seedlings.
Rehabilitation programs offered at jails around the country are important in restoring prisoners health or normal life through training and therapy. These programs help prisoners prepare for life after incarceration.
Here at Beon jail, prisoners are engaged in many different programs and now they are thinking of bringing back the cocoa project for prisoners.
“Now we are trying to rehabilitate the cocoa. We have the cocoa plantation here but since I came in, nobody is working at that area. So I have appointed an officer to work with the prisoners there to clean the cocoa (plantation) and we are looking forward to planting new ones”.
But the biggest program so far, in Beon is piggery.
Here at the small farm, they breed pigs and make sure piglets are in good health before they are transferred to another booth, ready to be sold to customers.
Pigs are sold at K13 per kilo. The price of the pigs depends on the weight of the pig, customers want to buy.
The money generated from the different programs goes back to help the facility.
Garden foods planted in the prison garden goes back for their own consumption, while the supplies are sold at the market.
The public is encouraged to support prisoners with these programs.
