Secretary of the Prisons Officers Association, Gerard Gordon, yesterday said the slow pace of cases being heard and determined contributed to the volatile environment among remand prisoners. “This place is a hell hole for both the inmates and the guards and I am personally fed up of going to funerals of prison officers who die from stress of this job. This situation will get worse,” Gordon said in a telephone interview.
He said the prison was built to hold 300 inmates but was housing up to 1,000. He said there were more people on remand than convicts. Speaking with the media outside the prison yesterday Lystra Alexander, who said she left her Point Fortin home some two hours before sunrise to visit her son, said she was told only female inmates were allowed visitors.
“I came here since 4 am and they said riot inside. I have a son inside and they not saying anything. I have things to give him and they not letting us in. “The prison officer who spoke to us said he not sure of what going on and they have to wait till someone higher to inform us. I am worried that he may have been one of the perons injured,” Alexander added.
Another relative, who asked not to be identified, said: “Technically they tell us they have no visits today and people here since 3 am and we wait till midday and they still eh know what going on? “No information about the prisoners. Let us know what going on. Tell us who get damaged so we know what to do because we hearing from sources inside that it’s all 40 persons who may have been injured but when you ask the officers they don’t know anything,” the relative added.
The riot disrupted the process of taking prisoners to court and those affected had their matters adjourned.
Past claims
Two years ago, following the shooting death of off-duty prisons officer Andy Rogers in Malabar on November 7, 2013, there were riots behind bars by prisoners who claimed victimisation. In response, a nine-member committee headed by Prof Ramesh Deosaran, was mandated by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to look into the conditions at the prisons and submit a report.
The committee met and recommended then that the Government build a new remand facility within 18 months, implement full body scanners at prisons so all who entered would be searched, have cellphone jammers installed and provide clothing for accused who were on remand. Some the recommendations are in the process of becoming reality.