A Year in Sarpoza Prison
How one TWU alumnus is working to improve lives in Afganistan
In the south of Afghanistan lies the province of Kandahar, birthplace of the Taliban. Deep inside Kandahar, stands Sarpoza Prison — one of the world’s most infamous prisons and the site of a 2008 Taliban attack that left the front gates in ruins and freed over 1,000 prisoners. This is not where Terry Hackett (’98) expected to end up when he filled out an application form at a TWU career fair.
The 34-year-old Saskatchewan native has been working with Correctional Service Canada (CSC) for 14 years since he applied at their career fair booth in 1995. Now, as Director of Correctional Operations for the Canadian Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, Hackett is leading a team of corrections mentors and advisors to provide training for Afghan staff and senior officials at Sarpoza Prison.
“Our strategy at Sarpoza reflects Canada’s overarching goal in Afghanistan: to give the Afghan people the tools they need to build a stable, self sustaining nation.”
While Canada has already made many changes to the prison’s infrastructure — such as building new guard towers, improving the septic system, and rebuilding the destroyed front gate — the focus of Hackett’s team is mentoring and training. “The many improvements to conditions in the prison in the past year and a half are largely due to the training provided by the Canadian team,” says Hackett. “Our strategy at Sarpoza reflects Canada’s overarching goal in Afghanistan: to give the Afghan people the tools they need to build a stable, self-sustaining nation. Thirty years of war have left a 30-year gap to fill in the country’s infrastructure, but Canada’s efforts have made a big difference. Canada’s work in Afghanistan is something Canadians should be proud of.”
Having begun his one-year assignment in December 2009, Hackett is still new to Afghanistan, but his 14 years of experience with CSC make him an expert on prisons. “It feels like I almost grew up in jail,” he says, “but through all the challenges, one thing that grounded me was my experience at Trinity Western.”
A former leader in both TWU’s rugby team and Student Association, Hackett encourages students to be active participants in their university. “Get involved,” he told a class of students as their guest speaker, “TWU develops leaders of people who are willing to get involved.”
Get involved — in many ways, these two words describe Hackett’s attitude in life. Whether showing a genuine long-term interest in the directions of inmates’ lives or being part of Canada’s efforts to help the people of Afghanistan, Hackett is one TWU alumnus who continually refuses to stand on the sidelines.
by Caleb Zimmerman
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