By Fawz Al-Ghamdi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – The Dhahban Correction Facility is providing a wide variety of programs to female inmates to hone their skills and help them find a job after they complete their prison term. Some of the female inmates have their little children with them and the facility provides them with everything they need in order to take good care of them. The facility encourages the inmates to bring out their creativity.

S.S., who preferred anonymity and has a two-year-old baby, said she struggled with frustration, remorse, and regret when she entered the prison the first time. At some point, she found herself unable to go on.

“Had it not been the good care given to me by the prison officials, I would have collapsed. They encouraged me to engage in art and spend more time painting and drawing. I did draw few paintings. Everyone inside the prison supports and encourages me and provides me with color crayons and drawing tools,” she said.

She decided to keep her little baby with her because she did not have trust in her relatives outside the prison. The prison officials provided her with everything she needs including milk, Cerelac (infant cereals), clothes, toys and medical healthcare. “I’m sure that my baby would not have received all this care outside the prison,” she said.

A.S. was working as a seamstress before she was put in the prison. She had worked for 30 years in this business and was a famous female tailor in the neighborhood where she used to live. “I designed wedding dresses and children’s and men’s clothes. It was profitable business that helped me provide for my family and meet their daily needs,” she said.

She worked for a tailor shop for quite some time before her life turned upside down and she ended up in prison as a result of her reckless behavior. Staying inside the prison helped her hone her skills as a designer and tailor and get adapted to prison life.

F.W. is a talented writer. She developed her writing skills inside the prison, thanks to the help and encouragement of prison officials.

“I found myself more interested in writing inside the prison. I kept on writing articles talking about my life and experiences and how I am regretful I ended up in prison. I like to spend my time writing short articles so that I can forget about my painful experience,” she said. Her writing skills have improved after she enrolled in the illiteracy center inside the prison.

Umm Muhammad says she feels sorry for her son and herself because she ended up in prison following some mistakes she made in the past. She feels remorse for her little son who is paying for her mistakes.

Dr. Fatima Kaki, a psychiatrist at King Fahd Hospital, says spending one’s time practicing or learning new skills can give a soothing relief to the soul and help the inmates get adapted to life inside the prison and unleash her creativity.