Help offenders reintegrate into society

(Baonghean) - Rehabilitating and educating wrongdoers in the community is a very humane work, which has recently been concretized by Party committees, authorities, and functional forces through programs and models that have brought about practical results. However, the process of helping wrongdoers to return to goodness and integrate into the community is a very arduous journey....

Practical models

Being a rather complicated area with 96 people who have completed their prison sentences and returned to their locality to live, Quang Tien Ward (Thai Hoa Town) was chosen as a point to build a model of "eliminating inferiority complex, making people smile, helping people who have made mistakes" in the residential community. Quang Tien Ward Party Committee has developed a thematic resolution on this model and deployed and assigned tasks to mass organizations in the political system. In addition to coordinating with families to approach, encourage and help people who have made mistakes to eliminate their inferiority complex, mass organizations also proactively provide advice, orientation, create jobs, and guide them to access loans from banks and credit institutions when they have a need.

Many people have used that initial loan to develop their economy and become prosperous, such as Mr. Nguyen Van Thuy in Trung Nghia block who borrowed 50 million VND to build the "Quang Tien pink grapefruit" model, earning over 300 million VND per year; Ms. Le Thi Yen in Tay Ho block borrowed 65 million VND to open a liquefied gas dealership with an income of 120 million VND/year...

Officials of Yen Tinh Commune Youth Union (Tuong Duong) talk with people who made mistakes.

Mr. Pham Van Hung, Vice Chairman of Quang Tien Ward People's Committee, said: People who have made mistakes, especially those who have completed their prison sentences, often have a withdrawn and inferiority complex. There are people who went to prison when they were young, and by the time they have completed their sentences, their hair is already gray, they are bewildered, and unfamiliar with their living environment... Therefore, the most important thing in rehabilitating and helping people who have made mistakes to reintegrate into the community is to give them faith and the will to live. Thanks to the active participation of the entire political system, out of 96 people who have completed their prison sentences and returned to their localities, Quang Tien Ward has had 57 people who have made progress, only 3 people have reoffended, and 36 people are being educated and assisted.

From the effectiveness in Quang Tien ward, the model of "eliminating inferiority complex, making people smile, helping people who have made mistakes" has been widely replicated in other areas of Thai Hoa town. Based on the results of the review and list of people who have completed their prison sentences from 2008 to present, the town police have advised the Steering Committee of the model to issue a decision to assign responsibilities to coordinate with the authorities of wards and communes in managing, educating and helping people who have made mistakes. Thanks to that, many people after completing their prison sentences have been given the opportunity to work in agencies and businesses, so they have had a stable life and income.

Typically, Mr. Cap Xuan Quang in Tay Hieu commune committed gambling, after serving his sentence, he was accepted by the Board of Directors of Tay Hieu High School to work as a school security guard; Mr. Ho Ngoc Dien and Hoang Quang Vinh are people with a past of wrongdoing, after returning to their hometowns, they were accepted by Tay Hieu 1 Farm as workers, assigned 2 hectares of land to grow rubber... Up to now, in the town, 342/427 people who have completed their prison sentences and returned to their hometowns have jobs, 60 cases have received loans from the Policy Bank. Mr. Le Xuan Hoai in Hamlet 4, Nghia Tien Commune (Thai Hoa Town), one of the subjects who received help, shared: "In the first days after serving my sentence, I felt lost, my friends of the same age all had their own families and happiness... Luckily, during that time, I received a lot of help and encouragement from my family and the community, now I really feel comfortable in communication and always think that only by doing many good deeds can I integrate into the community".

Another practical model is the program of "coordinating education of prisoners and inmates in youth age and helping them reintegrate into the community" between the Provincial Youth Union and Prisons No. 3 and No. 6 (General Department VIII - Ministry of Public Security). Through organizing exchange activities "Lighting up dreams for a brighter tomorrow", the Provincial Youth Union Secretariat coordinated with the prison wardens to integrate propaganda and dissemination of laws for prisoners; directed the Young Doctors Club to participate in health consultation, medical examination and treatment and medicine distribution, built a youth bookshelf with more than 100 reference books... contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of prisoners, arousing the belief in good reform, and early return to family and community.

Mr. Phan Trong Loc - Vice President of the Youth Union and Head of the Youth Solidarity Committee (Provincial Youth Union) said: The Provincial Youth Union continues to direct units to maintain the activities of the models "Friends helping friends", the Youth Volunteer Team (TNTN) "Lighting up the faith"... to encourage young people who have had a wrongful past to participate in the activities of the organization. Up to now, the Youth Union chapters at all levels in the province have built more than 200 TNTN teams "Lighting up the faith" with the participation of more than 100 reformed youths, youths who have completed their prison terms in localities in the models, volunteer teams... actively contributing to the work of ensuring security and order, preventing social evils in the locality.

Many young people after completing their prison sentences have received timely attention and support from local youth organizations and associations. Such is the case of the family of Mr. Luong Van Nam (born in 1982), in Canh Toong village, Yen Tinh commune, Tuong Duong district. Previously, Mr. Nam worked as a police officer in the commune but was lured into drug use by bad friends. At first, he felt inferior after being released from prison, but with the encouragement and support of the commune's Youth Union Executive Committee, Mr. Nam was able to integrate into the community and stabilize his business. "Not only did I participate in movements and activities of the youth union, I was also given the opportunity to borrow 30 million VND to develop my economy. Now my assets include 500 xoan trees, 1 buffalo, 2 cows... I am so happy, I can't express my gratitude enough" - Mr. Nam shared.

Thanks to the help of the Youth Union of Yen Tinh commune, Mr. Luong Van Nam in Canh Toong village was able to borrow money to buy buffaloes to develop the economy.

As of March 2015, in the system of the Fatherland Front and provincial organizations, there were 346 models of preventing and stopping social evils and mobilizing people to participate in the movement to protect national security that were consolidated and built, of which 250 models were effective. At the grassroots level, there were 4,993 typical models such as the "clean society of drugs" model in Hung Thong (Hung Nguyen), the "Shield Club" model in Tan Son (Do Luong)...

In border areas, in addition to coordinating with village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people in propagating and disseminating the law, bringing law violators to be criticized before the community... "To reform and educate those who have made mistakes to reintegrate into the community, immediately after they return to their locality, the border guards have assigned officers who are ethnic minorities, fluent in the local language, understand the psychology, customs, and practices to approach, share, and encourage the subjects" - Lieutenant Xeo Van Thang, Captain of the Mass Mobilization Team of Keng Du Border Guard Station (Nghe An Border Guard) shared.

Efforts to find the good path

Among those who made mistakes, many of them, upon returning, participated well in social activities in the community, built trust with the Party Committee and government, and were elected by the people as block leaders, deputy block leaders, branch leaders of the Veterans Association, militia and self-defense forces... Those people helped those who made mistakes like themselves before to find a good path. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Khang (currently a member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Cua Lo Town, member of the Executive Committee of the Farmers' Association of Nghi Thuy Ward) is one of the typical examples.

After more than 3 years of serving a sentence at Prison No. 6 (Ministry of Public Security) for violating the law. With the will and determination to rebuild his life, he established Long Van Enterprise, specializing in producing high-quality lime paint, with an average of over 1,000 tons/year supplying more than 100 agents from Quang Binh to Ninh Binh. Currently, his and his wife's production facility creates jobs for 10 regular workers, including 3 people who have been sentenced to prison or have had a wrongful past, with an average salary of over 4 million VND. What is admirable is that he is also honored to be a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Or the case of Mr. Lo Van Chung in Huu Van village, Chau Kim commune (Que Phong), from a serious addict, he successfully quit his addiction and became a Party cell secretary trusted by Party members and people in the village and commune.

UMBRELLAMr. Nguyen Dinh Khang, Nghi Thuy ward (Cua Lo) has become a typical good economic model creating jobs for workers.

However, there are still many cases where people do not have enough determination to rebuild their lives, especially drug addicts. Chairman of the Fatherland Front of Dien Ky commune, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan said: Out of about ten addicts, only 2 were successful in quitting, the rest relapsed a few months or even weeks after each new quitting session. Or like the Con Cuong District Youth Union, which was once commended by the Provincial Youth Union for its outstanding achievements in implementing the model "Group of friends helping friends" by supporting Nguyen Van Hieu - a heavy drug addict to quit. However, after 2 years, for unknown reasons, Hieu left the area, his family did not know where he went, only that Hieu had been seduced by the white spirit of alcohol.

Every year, according to the signed program, Prison No. 3 and No. 6 (General Department VIII - Ministry of Public Security) send a list of young prisoners who have completed their prison terms in localities in the province to the Provincial Youth Union and the Provincial Youth Union, assigning responsibility to the Youth Union and Association at all levels to coordinate and help. However, according to Mr. Phan Trong Loc, Vice President of the Provincial Youth Union, the number of successes can only be "counted on the fingers" because it is very difficult to approach these subjects, many people even curse and threaten to beat those who want to help them....

In addition, in some areas, there is still a situation of discrimination and alienation from the community towards those who have made mistakes. Party committees, authorities and mass organizations do not pay attention to the work of educating and reforming those who have made mistakes; many businesses refuse or avoid creating favorable conditions for those who have made mistakes, making their journey to "find a good path" much more difficult...

Therefore, according to Mr. Ho Hong Tuyen, Head of the Movement Committee (Provincial Fatherland Front), in addition to the "support" of the attention and help of the Party Committee, the government and the community, the key still lies in the willpower and determination of the person who made the mistake. They must overcome temptations, overcome their complexes and overcome themselves to stand up and rebuild their lives, building trust with the community...

Khanh Ly - Thanh Nga