NCJ Number
216273
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 68 Issue: 6 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 52-55,60
Date Published
October 2006
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the experience of American advisors who went to Iraq to work with and train Iraqi Corrections Service officers.
Abstract
When the war in Iraq broke out, Saddam Hussein released several thousand inmates in the hopes of recruiting them to fight in his army. Later, when there was no government to instruct prison workers and no money to pay them, they abandoned the prisons and the remaining prisoners escaped. In order to reestablish the prison system in Iraq, 50 American prison workers arrived in Baghdad in late 2003 and early 2004 to work with and train officers of the Iraqi Corrections Service. The author describes the challenges presented by differences in culture and language and by the lack of training of the Iraqi corrections officers. Cultural differences that presented challenges to corrections reform included the reluctance of using the term “no” in response to unreasonable inmate requests and the widespread and historical tradition of using bribery of government officials, such as corrections officials, to conduct business as usual in Iraq. The language barrier presented problems as the Americans and the Iraqis struggled to understand one another through the prison reform process. The challenges of living in a third-world country also presented special challenges to the U.S. advisors who were charged with cleaning up conditions in the Iraqi prisons, conditions that were similar to the homes of the Iraqi corrections officers. Much of the training that occurred necessarily had to take place on the job and the construction and remodeling duties had to take place slowly as time allowed. The author also recalls the physical dangers posed to the American advisors, including coming under regular fire from terrorists and being forced to travel with security forces. Despite the challenges, the American advisors recall their time in Iraq as deeply meaningful because they were able to help the Iraqi people establish humane and credible corrections services.