SK
Oficiálna stránka
A Saturday afternoon in Bratislava's Medická Garden is proceeding at the usual summer pace. Children are laughing on the playground, people are reading in the shade of trees. However, in one of the quieter alleys of the park, a moment is unfolding that transcends normal reality. Four families are meeting here. At first glance, an ordinary picnic – blankets spread out, cakes, laughter, and a soccer ball. A look at the ankles of the four men, however, reveals more. Black electronic monitoring bracelets shine clearly in the sun. These are convicts from the exit department of the Bratislava Prison and Detention Center, who, as part of the National Project 'Chance for a Return 2', received special permission to leave the institution. Specifically, it was a practical activity 'Family Day' focused on the family relationships module.
The goal? To strengthen and support disrupted family ties between the convicts and their children or loved ones. Prison staff accompany them step by step. 'We had been preparing for this for several days in advance,' says one of the convicts while placing a dish of treats on the blanket, which they baked and prepared themselves with the other guys. 'We wanted it to be perfect. So that the family could feel that we are here for them.'
Emotions are peaking a few meters away. One of the men is holding a young boy in a tight embrace. They haven't seen each other for six long years. When he left to serve his sentence, his son was still a child. Today, an almost fully grown person stands before him. Passersby and mothers with strollers have no idea that the tears in the adult man's eyes are a mixture of immense regret for lost time and enormous hope. The exit department staff observe the situation from a reasonable distance. Their presence is discreet but professional.
The task of the exit department is to prepare these men for a return to civilian life. Maintaining family ties is key to their successful resocialization. The mood gradually lightens. On one of the blankets, 'Ludo' (Parcheesi) and cards are being laid out. A little further away, shouting and laughter can be heard – fathers and children are playing soccer and badminton. For a moment, the invisible wall between the world behind bars and the absolute freedom of the city park disappears. After the allotted time, the men say goodbye to their families and, accompanied by staff, return back behind the prison gates.
It is only after arriving at the institution that the final period is put on the entire day. The convicts hand over handwritten thank-you letters to the staff. They contain sincere words of gratitude for the human approach the staff shows them, and above all, for the opportunity to leave the prison gates for a while and participate in this special activity. While the electronic monitoring bracelets on their legs remain a relentless reminder of past mistakes, for these families, a few hours in the Medická Garden and a helping hand from the staff meant the promise of a new future.
