Photo By Spc. Josh Lecappelain | Former detainees greet their family members outside Forward Operating Base Kalsu Aug....... read more read more
By Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret
Multi-National Division-Center Public Affairs Office
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – This year alone, nearly 13,000 Iraqi detainees returned to their families, with the goal in mind to benefit a society they once partook in filling with violence.
Still today, Joint Task Force 134 is working to reinstate between 30 and 45 detainees a day.
They do not send them back to their homes alone, however, but arm them with job skills and an education first.
"This is a process that shows the people of Iraq that we are working with the government of Iraq to reconcile the past," said Navy Lt. Micah Brewer, of Oceanside, Calif., a personal representative for the Multi-National Force Review Committee.
The detainees benefit from a number of programs to better their lives as far as learning job skills and gaining an education. Carpentry, art, literacy, civics classes and even a sewing shop are among the many classes available during detainment.
"This process helps get them back to a normal life and hopefully helps bring Iraq to a level of normalcy that provides stability and peace," added Brewer, who is stationed on Camp Cropper, an internment facility just south of Baghdad that holds roughly 3,000 detainees.
"[Sewing] is one of the most popular classes," Brewer said of the course, which is taught by a parachute rigger. "By the end of the class, the detainees can learn to mend clothes, and all of them make a small stuffed camel for their children."
Camp Bucca, which is located in the southern-most province of Iraq and currently holds approximately 16,000 detainees, also hosts an enrichment school offering different levels of educational courses. Detainees can learn arithmetic, Arabic reading and writing, English and social sciences, among others.
Currently, there are more than 2,300 students enrolled in the intra-compound schools, and more than 2,700 have completed basic education; an additional 250 students finished the higher-level courses.
Additionally, more than 12,000 detainees have participated in work programs, which yeilds an hourly salary to help provide for their families, since August 2007.
The Bucca Compound also holds a vocational technical school, an arts-and-crafts shop, a library and different recreational activities. In fact, Bucca detainees at these facilities have been working to craft 200 desks, which will be delivered in October to nearby schools in support of renovation efforts.
"The detainees here are learning vocational skills and receiving an education to assist them in providing for their families and become productive citizens to help in the rebuilding of Iraq," said Capt. Michael Greene, of Kansas City, Mo., with the 42nd Military Police Brigade at Camp Bucca.
The MNFRC reviews nearly 700 cases each week, a process that allows review every six months for adults and every three months for juveniles, though women also hold priority over men. JTF 134 handles all of the detainee operations throughout Iraq, as well as their release.
The release process is a calculated process, followed closely to ensure those released no longer pose a threat to their country or fellow citizens. The measured and deliberate release allows former detainees a chance to find jobs and successfully reintegrate into society.
"They're able to present their case to a MNFRC board in a productive manner," Brewer said. "If they prove themselves to no longer be a security risk, the board will recommend they be reconciled back into society."
Less than one percent of citizens released have been recaptured due to criminal activity. Of the total number still detained, 4,500 are considered a high threat. They were captured for manufacturing improvised explosive devices, direct involvement in attacks and confirmed membership of al Qaida. The majority of the detainees in camps Bucca and Cropper were involved in a criminal activity – such as digging a hole on the side of the road or filling a hole with explosives – either because they were being paid or were threatened to do so.
Prior to release, detainees are given a class that promotes peace and give an oath before an Iraqi judge stating they will not engage in terrorism or insurgency efforts.
"If one of these guys gets out and plants an [improvised explosive device], or kills a Soldier or a Shiite or Sunni or anyone, and I find out about it, [I'll feel] I was part of a system that failed," Brewer said. "I know that this is war, and it is not perfect. It can't be perfect, but it reminds me that I need to take the job at hand seriously."
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2008 03:05 |
| Story ID: | 24114 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 238 |
| Downloads: | 219 |
This work, Detainees return to society armed with skills, education, by Michel Sauret, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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