A jailed mind breaking the chains

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Baleseng Batlotleng

Location : GABORONE

Event : Interview

His conscience polluted with criminal activities constantly plotting to rob people of their belongings and appease himself, he was a hardened criminal. “There is no prison in Botswana that I haven`t been to, I know the painful prison life very well,” says former member of the notorious Maspotis group which used to terrorise Gaborone city in the 90`s.

“You have a certain standing when people know you are a criminal, they fear you. I gained a level of satisfaction as they praised me that I was a ‘bulldog` and I really enjoyed this. Even when I wanted a girl, I could get any girl I wanted because they knew I could provide for them and they feared me. Also, under the influence of alcohol and drugs, we fearlessly committed gruesome offenses which I now regret.”  

Another ex-convict, Tshabalala, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted for committing multiple counts of armed robbery and house break-ins,   “for me I did not care whether someone got hurt or not during our operation. All I wanted was to get what I wanted and have a luxurious life. It was a strange spirit that takes over your soul and I began to enjoy crime more and more.”

“When I was admitted to Gaborone Central Prison, men, some of whom were serving life imprisonment, boasted about the number of people they killed and the seriousness of their offenses. The gravity of your sentence raised your ‘credibility` in prison and you were seen as fierce of the pack.  This encouraged me to work harder and commit more gruesome crimes so that I can gain a certain standing amongst them. When you were admitted for minor things such as stealing a goat you were not accorded any respect by other prisoners,” says Tshabalala sharing what motivated his recidivism.

Back to the future, the aforementioned are now active members of Botswana Institute for Rehabilitation of ex-Offenders (BIRO) who have been in the hot furnace and have emerged with knees on the ground -humbled and law abiding.

Even as they share their sad stories, many young people who are into criminal activities remain thick headed. What could be going on in those heads and what could be done to enable them and even society at large to avoid the mucky path to jail?  

Avoiding the mucky path to jail

Botswana Prisons Services Psychologist, Karabo Bosilong, says “most people commit crimes because of poor anger management. Anger is a natural emotion and there is absolutely nothing wrong with being angry, the problem is how you express your aggression.

“Ideally people should not bottle up anger or contain it in an attempt to manage it because it will do more damage. When you are angry, do not lash out at other people or beat them, rather uphold respect in the midst of anger,” she shares slowly and carefully to ensure that her words sink in.

Bosilong says it is important for people to do thorough retrospection of themselves and have self-knowledge of their persona.  “When there is conflict situation, rather than causing an uproar or commotion and havoc where you might possibly end up hurting the other person and yourself, you need to calm yourself down through relaxation techniques; meditate or walk away from the situation and express your feelings later when both of you are calm, in this way you will have saved the situation,” says the mind expert.

Further, she says it is important to develop good communication skills which will go a long way in helping you to address situations. “Do not focus on the negative aspects of things as it will cause a build up of negativity in your life, for example prisoners should learn to accept that they have committed a crime and learn to look beyond their situation and have a positive outlook.”

Key to avoiding jail is to learn to resolve your problems so that you avoid any temptations. “Some people go through streets imprisoned by their own problems which they cannot solve and this can affect other areas of their lives causing stagnated development in their lives.”

It is important to know that, “we have absolute control over ourselves and our behaviour towards other people and that we have no control over what other people think of us or can do to us. Below she shares behavior patterns of different types of convicts and what people should do to avoid falling victim:

Prisoners convicted of armed robbery, and continuous house break in:
“People who commit these offenses are egoistic and self-centered. They do not think about other people, they really don`t care of how they gain their wealth as long as they can live in luxury they are okay, how they accumulate it does not matter… These are people who infringe on other people`s freedoms and happiness. They think that only their emotions matter. They are as hard as a nail.”
Solution: A person should admit that they have a problem and through counselling work on changing their behavior, this process takes time.

Prisoners convicted of murder:
“These are sadistic people who have excessive cruelty, they enjoy causing other people pain and enjoy full control over other people, they cause pain, and more pain just because they want to feel they have control over that person. Others murder because of excessive anger which leads to aggressive action that results in the death of someone.”
Solution: When somebody pokes you, ignore them and walk away. When you have calmed down and they have calmed down too, tell them you did not like what they did. People must learn to admit that they have a problem and work on changing this.
 
Passion Killings:
“More often than not, passion killings are a result of a quick reaction when people experience problems in their relationships. Some kill their partners because they want to have full control over them. They become aggressive and expect things to be done as they wish or as they say.”
Solution: People should be slow to act when they encounter problems in their relationships. It is important to understand that you are not their universe. It is important to know that we cannot control how the other person feels about us. If they want to go, let them go. Know that you have freedom and other people have their freedom as well. Don`t let your freedom override the freedoms of other people.

For Rape convicts:
“Some men are too shy and lack confidence to express their love to their female counterparts. Others rape because they are insecure - they are able to express their feelings but when they foresee that the lady will refuse they end up raping simply because they cannot stand the answer.”
Solution: As human beings we have to know that there are many aspects to being a human being; there is the mental aspect, psycho-emotional, social, and spiritual as well as the physical you which is the image that people see on the outside. If you are in touch with these you will better function. If someone hurts you and you bottle it up, you will bounce a negative energy to the people. Again, emotions affect one`s thinking. There is an interrelation in all these things. If you are happy, you then have a better approach to life hence avoid certain pit falls. Ends

Teaser:

 

For half a dozen times Tsunami frequented jail. Thus, about a decade chunk of his life - his prime age - was spent in prison. Akin to a trail of bad omen, he had become so accustomed to prison life that he was a regular customer of the police - they knew him very well. Tsunami had earned himself the infamous tittle of ‘jailbird`. It did not bother him until his mother died (because of excessive worry about him) which knocked some sense into him.