There is a sense of irony associated with the original inspiration for the Walk Tall p rogramme. The idea for this budding prison rehabilitation p rogramme - which provides counselling and personal development skills to inmates - actually came from the minds of offenders themselves.

Fr Matthew d'Hereaux, the coordinator of the Walk Tall p rogramme, confirms that the original idea came from the “grassroots”. The inmates to whom he ministered told him what they needed to get back on their feet, and the result was the Walk Tall p rogramme.

Fr d'Hereaux and his "Make It Happen” team of volunteers have developed an ambitious project which provides opportunities for self-improvement to inmates at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca.

Prisoners can voluntarily participate in the 40-week programme, taking part in several modules covering relevant topics like personal development, anger management, critical thinking and counselling.

Fr d'Hereaux and his volunteers conduct the modules for the inmates , who are often in dire need of the help they receive in these sessions.

“A lot of people fall through the cracks,” explains Fr d'Hereaux, noting that, once freed, ex-inmates often face obstacles like stigmatisation and a feeling of hopelessness from the rejection and from their own sense of worthlessness. The pressure to return to a life of crime can be overwhelming without the support of programmes like Walk Tall.

Over the past three years, the programme has worked steadily to help those who want to escape the painful cycle of the repeat offender. Over 100 prisoners have already completed the programme and, though Fr d'Hereaux admits that it is too early to measure the impact, he is already seeing some positive results. He reminisces about one particular inmate who was “totally unyielding” at first.

“He set his face like flint,” recalls Fr d'Hereaux. After the reluctant participant left the programme, he wrote to the counsellors thanking them for their efforts and noting that the programme had helped him to rethink his life and his goals. 

Of the 100 inmates who have been through the programme, Fr d'Hereaux notes that he has personally heard of only a few returning to the prison system.

Fr d'Hereaux and his volunteers do not intend to rest on their laurels. He eagerly discusses plans for the expansion of Walk Tall. He observes that there is a need for the programme in the Golden Grove prison as well, but he does not yet have enough volunteers to run the programme in both prisons.

A lot of moral support

Meanwhile, plans are well underway to establish a facility at which the second phase of the Walk Tall programme will be offered). The sod was turned only recently for the Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre, where former prisoners will be able to spend a year participating in Phase 2 modules which will help them deal with the daunting world many find outside the prison walls.

Fr Matthew d'Hereaux at sod turning ceremony for the Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre

The Reintegration Centre will provide ex-inmates with the chance to take part in sessions with mentors. They can also benefit from skills and literacy development, family and community mediation, individual and group counselling, and apprenticeship and job placement. 

Each module will have its own coordinator and team and the ex-inmates will be exposed to whatever module caters to their needs.

So far, Fr d'Hereaux's ambitious project has received a lot of moral support. “People love the programme,” he explains but he adds that Walk Tall would benefit a great deal if the support they received could be manifested more in practical ways.

The organisation needs trained volunteers with specific qualifications: professional counsellors and other experts are needed to mentor the prisoners and conduct informative sessions and workshops. The existing Walk Tall team is small and the number needs to be augmented so that even more prisoners can participate.

Those who feel they are qualified to mentor and counsel are screened and interviewed. Fr d'Hereaux observes that several of the volunteers have been enriched by the experience. 

“They feel that they should have discovered this programme before,” says Fr d'Hereaux, as he describes the impact the experience has had on the volunteers.

He admits that some expressed apprehension at first, but noted that all volunteers are advised of the basic rules on how to behave with inmates and former inmates, so as to ensure their safety.

The fears of many of the volunteers are often allayed and Fr d'Hereaux says many have “re-volunteered”, staying with the programme throughout its three years and helping to make it a success.

Those who cannot provide professional assistance can support Walk Tall by donating stationery, like files and notebooks, to be used in the sessions. Anyone wanting to make donations can drop off useful items at Archbishop's House, with a label addressed to Fr d'Hereaux. The items would be sent to him.

Church groups might want to consider doing fundraising for the Walk Tall programme, as the Reintegration Centre will cost about $3 million. Despite the generous support of corporate sponsors, a great sum of money is still needed to complete the facility. Anyone who wants to volunteer or make a donation can call Archbishop's House at 622-6680.

Centre for restorative justice

Fr d'Hereaux envisions the Reintegration Centre as “a centre for restorative justice”. He explains that many people who have been through the prison system “don't want to go back to jail” and need social support.

He says he wants to replace the sense of bitterness and hopelessness some inmates and ex-inmates might feel, with “a sense of community service, a sense of empathy”.

He foresees those who have been through the Walk Tall programme trying to make amends to those whom they have hurt. Some of those who benefit from Walk Tall may one day serve as peer counsellors and perhaps encourage others not to make the same debilitating mistakes. Already, Fr d'Hereaux is seeing evidence of this desire in some ex-offenders to give back to the community.

“Two or three people have had a conversion experience,” reveals Fr d'Hereaux. “They want to go to schools and talk about crime.”

Through organisations like Walk Tall, there is the possibility of striking at crime before it takes root in the hearts of susceptible young people.