Respect moves roving Instructor Bas Deo

“They were totally onto it!” says Horticulture Instructor Bas Deo about the training he did at the Youth Unit at Christchurch Men’s Prison. “Beforehand I had been
warned that this group of prisoners might be difficult and not motivated at all but it turned out to be the opposite.”

Prisoners’ success is what motivates Bas who started working for Corrections about 18 months ago. With more than 20 years’ experience in crop and food research, Bas has a wealth of knowledge to pass on. He worked as a corrections officer until October 2008. Bas says, “That was a great induction. It gave me a really good knowledge of prison life and of what I could expect as an instructor.”

Three sites
Bas is nicknamed the ‘roving’ instructor because he works at three different sites: Christchurch Women’s, Christchurch Men’s and Rolleston Prison. He wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s good to have a change of scenery, it keeps me on my toes!”

Bas teaches five groups of 10 low to medium security prisoners. As the medium security prisoners are not allowed out of the prison most of the training takes place at the gardens he has created next to the hut units. “Unfortunately we have no glass house or a potting shed. We use the vegetable plots I have created next to the prison units.”

Rewarding
The prisoners in Bas’ classes are doing well. “In this morning’s group there were five women who have been in horticulture training for about a year. When they started they knew absolutely nothing and in March they gained a National Certificate (Level 2) in Horticulture.

They are keen to keep on going to the next level. It was the first time for them to experience a formal graduation ceremony which was attended by ITO representatives and trade members. This is the rewarding part of the job for me.”

The Youth Unit and the hut units at Christchurch Men’s Prison are likely to complete study towards their certificates in May or June.

“I have learnt that the most important thing in all my classes is to give respect because most times I find that is when you get it back. It’s what happened in the Youth Unit at Christchurch Prison and something good has grown out of that.”