Jude Jean has been in and out of prison after stealing money to buy heroin
According to the country's government, about 10% of the local population of the tropical island nation of Seychelles relies on heroin, which is now an epidemic. Even being locked up does not provide protection for those who are dependent on drugs. BBC's African Eye makes a rare visit to the main prison to find out
Perched on a hilltop surrounded by beautiful views of the Indian Ocean, Montagne Posée Prison is the main correctional facility in Seychelles.
Seychelles is a country full of contradictions, but it is still difficult to reconcile these breathtaking visions with what's inside. At the entrance to the prisoners' place, through locked gates and miles of coiled barbed wire, a four-meter-tall mural of Nelson Mandela hangs on the walls of the office building. In addition to the smiling face of the late South African president – who was, of course, a prisoner himself – there is a famous quote: "It is said that only after being in prison can you understand a country." ”
Indeed, this prison in many ways reflects what is happening in Seychelles outside of its luxury five-star brand.
We were here to meet one of the inmates, Jude Jean, but our team was first taken to where the prisoners told us, which was kind of like a display room for tourists. It was clean but cramped. There were eight beds, four on each side – one stacked on top of the other, and there was no room to sit upright. In the same room there was a toilet and shower - privacy was not an issue.
Nearby is a dirty and broken kitchen. Rotting fish guts clog the sewers and the stench is unpleasant, but flies are enjoying a feast.
Then there is the main cell area. The darkness is overwhelming. It was late afternoon, it was not yet dawn, and the small light bulbs in the nearby corridor emitted a faint light. Prisoners used cardboard boxes to create privacy behind the fence of an open cell. Some of them are very small and look more like cages, and there are dirty mattresses on the floor.
Prison conditions are cramped and there is little privacy
As Class A drugs flow through these cells, heroin problems also lurk in the dark.
Prisons do not have any protection from what is happening outside. Seychelles is facing an epidemic.
It is estimated that about 10% of Seychellois smokers use heroin. So much so that foreign workers had to be brought in for jobs that drug-addicted locals could not. In prison, Tanzanian guards were rotated as staff to try to stem corruption and heroin from flowing into their cells — but to no avail.
Corruption, drugs and prisons
Even President Wavel Ramkalawan admitted that the prison was not suitable for use.
He told us at the state capitol in the capital Victoria, "When you have such a mess, that's a hotbed of official corruption." Once corrupted, drugs continue to enter prisons," he said, adding that he was planning to build a new prison.
He admitted that "the drug situation is very bad".
"Currently, Seychelles is the number one in the world in terms of heroin consumption per capita. This is not a statistic that makes me personally very happy. ”
Today is Prison Visitation Day, and Jude Jean, who was remanded for theft, is waiting for his mother. The family room is outside – it's a concrete courtyard surrounded by a barbed wire fence with plastic furniture. Jude is likable - warm and friendly, confident but modest. But he also relied on drugs.
When he took his seat today, his eyelids seemed too heavy for him. Despite being in prison, he managed to quit heroin that morning, along with some marijuana.
Mother Ravinia has always supported her son, despite the effects his addiction has on her
For more than a decade, Jude went in and out of prison, mostly to get into the habit of theft. His mother, Ravinia, had to deal with the situation. But his mother did not abandon him.
A few days after his mother's visit, Jude decided to change himself and fulfill his promise to try recovery again. He took a big step by trying to sign up for the prison's methadone program — know but not everyone qualifies.
Jude signed up for the methadone program in the hope it would help him recover from heroin dependence
Jude arrived tall at the prison medical centre. When the nurse tested his urine for heroin, it was not surprising that the result was positive.
The next day, he lined up with other fellow inmates and took his first dose.
Jude also participates in a counseling program that gives him the best chance of recovery.
His mother, Ravinia, didn't hold her breath, she had been disappointed many times before — but she was praying hard — and this time Jude held on.