The old prison building, commonly known as "Back a Baptist' is 150 years old today. Of course it's now a museum, but if those walls could talk, well, the stories, they'd tell. Today to commemorate the 150th anniversary the museum staff put together some of the objects that was formerly used to punish the inmates. And former Superintendent Bernard Adolphus, told us that the old place still gives him chills.
Bernard Adolphus, Former Prison Superintendent
"It brought back a rush, to me. Memories which I had put aside came back. Memories like the fire, memories like hurricane, memories like executions; memories of corporal punishment which used to be done where those officers are. All those people who corporal punishment was administered to, when we say corporal punishment, those who were whipped because of rape and other activities. I notice all those people never did came back to prison again; never did came back to prison because in those days when you raped somebody, it was cat o nine. Later on we became more decent and we started using the tambran whip.
All of those people who considered themselves lions in those days, and if they were lions out there, when that was administered, they became mice and as a result that has rehabilitated a number of our Belizean people. I am not saying it should be implemented back again but something is wrong with our society."
Former Inmate #1,
"I remember 1989 coming in that corridor from Magistrate's Court, the first time coming to prison the feeling I had, looking at these brick walls and the gates closing behind me, the buzzer ringing, entering into this corridor. It was a whole new world right within our little community.
George McKenzie and Derrick Brown were down in that side of 'capital charge' and we started a thing and we erupted a thing within some of the older guys who were within the prison. C-Wing started to claim that they were crips and some of the older guys started to follow the younger guys. I remember Leopold Audinett, Poli, took side with us, Bloods, and Mr. Lopez decided to switch up things. So I was brought down to this area. It was cell 5, I think, cell 5 and then they gave us a visit to the execution room and showed us and said, if you guys don't try to change your lives, this is where you will end up with this gang banging stuff."
Former Inmate #2,
"When you come here, it is darkness and you never see the light, unless you leave here. All the while you are here, it is darkness. You do have to find the way of light to be released, to go back to society to take your rightful place."
Bernard Adolphus,
"My advice, take advantage of what is offered to you. Take advantage. That is to say, if there is an education process, take advantage of it because at the end it will be of benefit to you; not me, you and I have seen a number of men change their lives. Those in the prison service cannot rehabilitate a person, the person himself has to need, has to have that desire to change. If you don't have that desire to change, not even God can help you."
The museum exhibit will be open for the next six weeks.