Meeting Report | Afghan Corrections Program Roundtable

Hosted by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, the Afghan Corrections Program Roundtable was held Tuesday, September 11th, 2007.

The roundtable discussion was led by Major General Ismat, the General Director of the Afghan Central Prisons Department (CPD), who was joined by Senior Afghan Officials of the Ministry of Justice. They were accompanied by the Director and staff of the State Department funded Corrections System Support Program (CSSP), a first of its kind Department of State operational corrections program.

The roundtable centered on a discussion of the modernization process in the Afghan corrections system, with both the successes and weaknesses addressed.

After a warm welcome, Maj. General Ismat gave a brief rundown on the current state of the corrections system in Afghanistan. A prison resides in each of the thirty-four provinces; however, a main cause for concern is the poor housing conditions/facilities at these prisons. Many of these prisons are in rental housing with inadequate conditions for the criminals placed there. The offenders are not generally housed according to crime thus making safety within the prisons an issue. The housing facilities are also not well suited for rehabilitation activities, of which the CPD labels as an integral part of a successful corrections system. These problems stem from poor housing but also a lack of funding for a stronger infrastructure, the second largest concern for the CPD.

Without a robust infrastructure, even basics such as uniform rules and regularities are difficult to maintain on the provincial level. Unfair wages rouse resentment amongst prison workers thus acting as a barrier to the hopeful infrastructure growth. Worker training also begs improvement, prompting Maj. Ismat to relay his request for continued and expanded U.S. aid for proper equipment and training. He believes training workers to meet the international standard would help to quell the last major issue the CPD addressed, security.

The issue of security finds itself wrapped in all the major issues discussed by the General. The buildings that currently house the prisons are poorly equipped with proper security and the new age technology found in successful corrections systems, worldwide. The lack of infrastructure also acts as a handicap for the prison staff to organize strategies in dealing with security issues. As reiterated earlier, the Afghan officials believe additional suitable weapons in combination with improved training will inevitably lead to stronger infrastructure and security. Maj. Ismat therefore asks for the United States’ and international help in sending more of both money and expert resources through the CSSP.

After Maj. Ismat’s briefing on the current status of the correctional system, the floor was open to questions. Of the questions mentioned, two seemed most striking and relevant to the discussion.

Q1: The first was by the representative of the British Embassy, who wondered if the tradition of rehabilitation differed from that of the West and if so in what ways did the Afghans incorporate these traditions with rehabilitation?

A1: The concept of rehabilitation shares many similarities between the East and the West, much more so than any differences. In Afghanistan, the value of tradition and maintaining that tradition is high; however, they wish to maintain their traditions in a manner that keeps them intact but allows room for improvement. Differences found between the two legal systems, although not necessarily rehabilitation, stems from the West’s offender-based focus versus a more Eastern focus on making the victim whole. A consensus emerged between both the U.S. and Afghan attendees that the Afghan corrections system should not shift over too much towards adapting a purely Western style. More surprisingly, they agreed the West would do well to possibly adopt some aspects of the more Eastern approach in focusing on the victim.

Q2: What are the challenges of women and children in the prisons?

A2: There are 468 women and 167 children currently in the corrections system. The CPD wishes for the children to be separated from their mother at the age of three and above and taken to a shelter where they can attend schools and start their journey towards becoming productive Afghan people. The reasoning behind the mother and children’s separation lies in the security of the children if they were to stay at the prisons. Food presents another obstacle if the children are not separated; due to the scarce food supply mothers must share their food rations with the children. On the other hand, once separated the children at the shelter are supposed to visit their mothers’ once a week but disparate funds make it difficult for this to become a reality. Basically, the General sees the female/children issue as a huge problem but one they have not readily tackled with adequate solutions, except hoping for more aid.
The table then turned to the staff of the CSSP, who went on to explain the international view of the situation. While first noting an agreement on the importance of a more durable infrastructure, the CSSP staff noted the utmost importance in creating sustainable and low cost prisons in Afghanistan. The staff congratulated the CPD on its ability to work together with the CSSP and international agencies in order to not only strategize but implement successful strategies. A congratulated breakthrough occurred a while back when the CPD took the advice of international experts and allowed a reworking in its organizational structure, thereby creating a much more successful CPD. The ultimate goal of the CSSP and CPD is to shift the responsibilities down the line to the CPD so that the Afghan people can create sustainable, low cost prisons themselves. Realistically aid will continue to flow into the CPD over the next couple of years because there is still much to be done however, the foundation is slowly being laid and progress is inevitable on the current path.

We’ve focused a lot on progress in Afghanistan, with our Breaking Point report and a recent event with the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.