Pre-release women prisoners put on a fashion show today - the culmination of their training through the Reintegration Support and Empowerment, RISE Programme. Among the participants is one high-profile inmate, who is lauding the programme, and calling on the authorities to continue investing in the rehabilitation of inmates. Rynessa Cutting has more.
00:00They've got talent, they've got style, and they're not letting their time behind bars stifle their creativity and their will to thrive.
00:16Her dress represents freedom. Her dress represents one in which she may be in a position of feeling like she's incarcerated, but she feels free.
00:26The pre-release Women Prisoners put on a dazzling fashion show today, sporting upcycled and repurposed fashions, as well as creations from newspapers and other recycled materials.
00:39It's all thanks to RISE, the Reintegration, Support and Empowerment Program, facilitated by the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services.
00:51This program gave them a chance to be seen, to be heard, and to be believed in.
00:59The training included therapy, life skills development, and artistic expression through jewelry, jewelry making rather, garment design, and more.
01:15These are more than just skills. They are tools for self-discovery and self-empowerment.
01:23They are steps towards dignity and towards independence.
01:28The RISE project is but one of a number of programs made possible by the Ministry, which is tasked with the mandate of addressing social challenges in the population.
01:38I just heard my dear friend from the prison service, in her last paragraph, mentioned she hopes that this program will be continued.
01:51I see no reason why it should be stopped.
02:01So I just want to let everyone know that as a ministry, we are committed to investing in social programs that reach all segments of our population.
02:12Among those who took part in the RISE program is one high-profile inmate who was imprisoned on multiple fraud charges.
02:21She is crediting the program facilitators and the prison administration for her transformative time behind bars.
02:28Because of this and other programs, I was blessed with the opportunity to be given the chance to pursue my law degree while self-studying.
02:38And I look forward eagerly upon my legal release, legal, Mr. Bumpard, release, legal, legal, to be able to now give back my pound of flesh to the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service,
02:56other stakeholders, to once again return that favor along with my legal team, to be able to provide proper, fair, and balanced legal representative in the courts.
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