More Prison Education

Every time I go to the prison I learn more and more and I love it!

Today I walked up and saw the same huge group of people outside that I had seen last time. This time I realized that it was actually a line up that I had unknowingly bypassed last time. Oops! But with only two visits left and minimal risk of having my visiting privileges cut, in addition to the guards now knowing me, today I confidently walked past the long line up and with a "dai" (meaning brother and a sign of respect) and a gesture to the guard that I wanted to go through, I easily slipped through. I felt no guilt. I then walked past the huge line of women waiting to go through to security and with another "dai" and perhaps a little smile, slipped into that line as well. Maybe I shouldn't be advertising this, but I felt no guilt about that either :)

The stars were aligned today because I after that I ran into the guard who had arranged the first visit with Surendra. I figured there was no harm in asking so did just that, asked if I could go see him again. I had called Surendra at the jail that morning to let him know that I was coming and to watch for me because I wasn't confident they would let me go on my own. The guard told me that Surendra had already come by looking for me, then picked up his walkie talkie and within seconds Surendra was there to pick me up. As we walked away I got another "don't stay too long" from the guard which I'm pretty sure is just for show as there is never any follow up to their warnings. Well two can play that game so I said "yah sure" and we were on our way for a visit that was surely not going to be short.

Once at the private visiting area Surendra dusted off my seat for me before I sat. It is these little things that I find so interesting; meaning this cold blooded murderer's human side. He is kind, caring, well mannered, well spoken, and a good conversationalist. I so enjoy chatting with him and over some Pringle chips and pop we did just that.

Not surprisingly we talked a lot about prisons given that I'm fascinated with them and he of course lives in one. Beyond that though, Surendra has his own curiosities about prisons and likes to watch prison movies so he can see the differences in prisons in the West. What he sees may not be completely accurate of course but he knows enough to know that there are big differences, especially in terms of drugs and violence which are such big problems in the West. He told me that when foreigners first come to prison there they are pretty uptight and act tough as they expect that the prison environment to be conflictual and violent. But then within a couple days they realize that it is actually a peaceful environment which is friendly, helpful, and like a brotherhood. These are Surendra's words not mine, but from what I have seen and heard over the years I would agree.

That led to me asking his thoughts on why there is such a difference between the prison system in Nepal versus the West. His take is that in the Nepali system the inmates run the prison which inmates respond to as it's a whole lot better than having to listen to the police. I would also add that in Nepal there seems to be an investment in keeping the environment peaceful and clean (in terms of drugs and such). Not to say that there haven't been incidents of violence, but they seem to be rare. Drugs aren't common either and Surendra, a guy that you would think would be all over using drugs in prison given his lifestyle and to cope with being locked up, told me that they don't want drugs inside. If someone is found with drugs they could be beaten after which they receive a punishment of 1-2 months of confinement as well as duties such as cleaning toilets. Surendra feels that it isn't the beatings that will change the behaviour, but rather the humiliation that inmates respond to. And remember that the punishments are doled out by the inmates and not the police as the inmates are the ones responsible for the functioning of the prison.

I also asked about sexual activity/violence in Nepal as in Western prisons there is a lot of sexual violence and need to protect vulnerable individuals as a result. Relationships between inmates are also common between inmates, including transgendered inmates who end up being partners of men who on the outside are straight. They deny being gay but explain it being a way of coping in jail. I should add that this information is courtesy of Lockup, my favourite TV show where they tour US prisons while interviewing staff and prisoners. Best show ever..check it out!!! Surendra said that this is simply not a part of their culture. He told me about a male inmate who he described as "a female inside" (which impressed me) that they transferred to the women's jail when the guards realized that she was psychologically a woman. In almost 10 years in prison that's the only such case that he was aware of.

I'm not going to present the Nepali prison system as perfect because it's far from it. There is so much corruption it's ridiculous, differential treatment depending on how much money you have and/or who you know, inadequate prison conditions/basic care of inmates. But in terms of general functioning, level of violence, unrest/conflict between inmates and guards, drugs and need for security, in my opinion the Nepali prison system is far superior to the West.

You might not care why I think the way I do, or for a more in-depth analysis of the Nepali prison system, but sorry, you're going to get it anyway! To me, part of it is culture as respect is paramount in Nepali culture and unlike English is built into their language; meaning there are different ways of speaking to someone younger or older and/or deserving of greater respect. Nepalese use the term brother/sister when speaking to or even referring to another person regardless of their position in society, feelings toward them etc. It's expected within their culture so the same goes in prison; respect is there.

There are also no race issues to contend with in Nepal; a major factor in the conflict and violence in the West. And as already mentioned the whole system of inmates running the prison seems to make a huuuge difference. I'm not sure whether a similar model could work in the West because of a variety of issues too long to get into here, but it might not be a bad idea to try it out in a low risk setting. Amber, why don't you propose it to Vinnie for a trial in Prince Albert?? :)

We also talked about gangs in Kathmandu given that Surendra has the inside scoop being a gangster himself. Years ago when I supervised the best unit ever at Metis, we called ourselves G-Unit cuz we were a bunch of wannabe gangsters (who were pretty much as far from it as possible). Well, this guy is the real deal. He's from Patan which is across the bridge from Kathmandu and more developed. Patan is also his gang's territory. We got talking about Thamel which is the tourist area in Kathmandu where I live and he told me that he when he was out he couldn't really come to Thamel as it is controlled by a rival gang with the leader being a guy named Deepak. Like the brothel area that I wrote about in India, there are lots of illegal dance bars, massage parlours and brothels in Thamel (where there are tourists, there are "services"). And just like in India the owners of these establishments have to pay the gangs and the police to stay open as well as for protection.

Surendra told me that occasionally he would come to Thamel during the day but never at night for his own safety. But one night he was with a girl who wanted to check out a bar in Thamel, he agreed and went with her after he had been drinking and with no weapon for protection. Well, sure enough, he had barely ordered a drink when he was attacked by rival gang members. Luckily the police showed up and he was able to get home without being more seriously injured. He told me that once home and not thinking rationally as he had been drinking he wanted to grab a weapon and return to retaliate. But his parents showed up, saw him all bloodied and prevented him from leaving.

He also talked about a time in 2003 or 2004 (whatever year Italy won the World Cup he said) when one of Deepak's right hand men ended up in jail. He was none too friendly to Surendra apparently, always staring him down nastily. Well, the tension built and one day a fight broke out between them. Surendra told me that he beat him with a table leg (showing me a table leg of where we were sitting as an example), and breaking his leg in the process. Apparently there were no further issues after that. But that said, he knows that he will have to watch out for this rival gang when he gets out. He has heard that there are plans for retaliation against him,and knows it is quite possible.

Perhaps it's not the best time to mention that Surendra very much wants to show me "the real Kathmandu" when he is out and I return. The good news is that I am welcome to bring friends!! Care to join?? And no worries, I think we'll stay clear of Thamel just to be safe.....literally!. :)