Working Together, Staying Together

"The strain on our marriage was just too much."  Comments such as this are made by many prisoners who experience their marriages deteriorating under the stress and separation of imprisonment. Without family support and a home to return to, such prisoners ultimately face a higher risk of re-offending upon their release. Recently, PF Benin established an innovative new programme that allows inmates to work side-by-side with their spouses. The programme, “Rapprochement des conjoints” (drawing closer to your mate), provides workshops in which prisoners learn a trade and produce products that will bring in revenue for the family.

After receiving special permission from the penitentiary administrative authorities to allow inmates‘ spouses into the prison for an extended period of time, PF Benin set up the workshops and began training prisoners who volunteered for the programme. As a result of the programme, prisoners and their wives have begun to produce a variety of products including doughnuts, peanut oil and gari and tapioca (a food staple in Benin) produced from manioc tubers. Others have become involved in dyeing batik fabric, tailoring, and carpentry projects. Profits from the sale of products are used to support the families of the prisoners involved.

PF Benin‘s Executive Director Toussaint N‘djonoufa says that prisoners have responded positively to the programme. The workshops “fight against idleness in prisons, and help to reconcile the husband with his spouse for more harmony in the home,” he adds.