Do we use prisons to incarcerate the incorrigible or as a vehicle for restoration and redemption? asks Bob Payne.
On Prisons Sunday in November 2008, the Bishop of Liverpool, addressing the subject of prisons, said, “The fundamental question facing our society is whether we see prisons as warehouses to store the incorrigible or greenhouses to restore the redeemable.”
Surely, for Christians, the answer has to be ‘greenhouses’, doesn’t it?
It’s a question that every country, including Britain, which runs a network of prisons needs to answer.
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A scene in Mtskheta in the Republic of Georgia(Photo: © Henning(i)/Flickr)CMS are currently partnering a charity called Zarebi, in the Republic of Georgia, which is developing some constructive training activity in a prison in Rustavi, about 30 miles south of the capital, Tblisi.
The prison holds nearly 2,000 men. However, apart from Zarebi’s Computer Training Programme, there are no opportunities for education, work or vocational training for those held there.
Other than that, the prison regime is solely focused on containment.
That is the case in most Georgian prisons, in which security is guaranteed by the presence of armed guards from the Georgian Army.
Recently, Prebendary Bob Payne, a prison chaplain with 37 years’ experience, visited the prison in Rustavi as a consultant for CMS. He was challenged by the sight of so many men with nothing creative to do – circumstances so far from what God would have them be.
Meeting Merab Bob was very impressed by Merab Bolkvadze, the founder of Zarebi, and his commitment to, and the tenacity he shows in, trying to improve the situation at Rustavi and in other prisons.
It was also an encouragement to discover that others want to develop such activity too and follow Merab’s example.
Merab’s commitment is made clear when one discovers that that he works 30 hours a week as a minibus driver to support his family so that he can lead Zarebi and realise his vision.
Bishop Anthoni 
Merab Bokvadze (left) with Prebendary Bob Payne and Bishop Anthoni Bulukhia (right)(Photo: © Bob Payne/CMS)Bob was also encouraged by the support of others within the Georgian Orthodox Church, including Bishop Anthoni Bulukhia, a former prisoner who is now an Orthodox church leader in western Georgia.
The generosity and hospitality of the Georgian people, with their unique history, language and culture, will be needed to meet the massive challenges facing the country.
However, as the Church in Georgia has flourished in the years since independence from the Soviet Union, so too, it is hoped, will the work of Zarebi in bringing dignity and purpose to those in prison so that when they are released they have a better chance of successful resettlement into productive lives.
CMS, with funding support from Geneva Global, is, through its partner, Zarebi, doing what it can to contribute to the process of converting “warehouses” into “greenhouses”.
If you want to learn more about this project, then e-mail info@cms-uk.org. Zarebi has been a CMS partner in mission for over 12 years.
Prebendary Bob Payne was Assistant Chaplain General of Her Majesty's Prisons, and now works, in his retirement, in Swinfen Hall Prison in the West Midlands.
As part of his work, Bob was instrumental in setting up prison chaplaincies in Eastern Europe.