Protective services bring Christmas cheer even behind bars

Those involved in the essential services most often must work on Christmas and New Year’s Days. LARA PICKFORD-GORDON spoke with a member of the Trinidad & Tobago Prison Service who explained the challenges and joys of spending the holidays on duty.

Christmas Day is a regular workday for many people particularly the workforce in the category of “essential services” including hospital, law enforcement, and immigration.

For Joel Roberts, a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service, working on a day on which other citizens are with family and friends enjoying the holiday, is “par for the course” in his chosen field. “When you understand purpose and your role as an agent for change, it comes with the territory,” he stated in response to a question from The Catholic News.

How does it feel working on Christmas Day? The question took his thoughts back 20 years. He said: “At first, I felt sad that I had to miss the festivities because in my community, every Christmas morning, we parang from house to house eating, drinking and making merry. However, I had to come to the realisation that when I signed up for the job, I committed to work on days like Christmas Day and it was my Christmas cheer to give back to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago by ensuring the prison was staffed so they can feel safe.  Not only that, but it gave me an opportunity to bring Christmas cheer to our incarcerated citizens as well.”

In this regard, he stated, “all that is Christmas, we try and provide”. He explained that a shift system is in effect for officers and he has worked on Christmas Day “a number of years”.

Roberts has a family so working on this day is not new but “they understand the nature of the job and how the selfless sacrifices of members of the protective services fit into the safety and protection of society”.

He is grateful to still be able to salvage moments with his family on Christmas Day saying, “interesting enough, I have never worked whole day, so you either make the best of it before duty or thereafter. If not, there is always Boxing Day”.

His work routine on Christmas Day entails the basic functionality of the institution, “ensuring our charges get their meal, recreation, and other liked entitlement under security and safety,” he replied.

I asked about the routine for officers on shift on Christmas Day and Roberts said it’s about trying to ensure the people working just as the people in their charge, feel a sense of Christmas. Roberts added, “so yes, as we say in local palance, ‘we go buss a pot’.” This is executed collaboratively with contributions from the prison system and contributions from staff.

Roberts worked in the prison Programmes department for some time and is currently acting as a Prisons Supervisor. Although his portfolio has changed, he is still on the field.

He said wherever he is placed in the service, he understands the mandate of programmes offered by the T&T Prison Service and the purpose he must fulfil.  Elaborating, he stated this meant: “God’s plan for my life to touch and save lives through our rehabilitative efforts”.

He gave closing statements as follows: “I wish to take the opportunity on behalf of the Commissioner of Prisons, Staff and family at the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service to wish our citizens a Merry Christmas and enriched Happy New Year. And request of citizens, in your time of merriment say a prayer for those less fortunate than us and remember those men and women of the protective services who everyday make sacrifices so that you can feel a sense of safety and comfort. And as is outlined in Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”