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Mar 01, 2011 News
By Rabindra Rooplall
Allegations of corruption, mismanagement, bribery, favouritism and dishonesty are being leveled against the Guyana Prison Service by present and past officers who are displeased with what is transpiring behind the Georgetown Prison walls.
Complaining Prison officers requested anonymity for fear of victimisation, since under Section 10 A (2) of the Prison Act, Chapter 11:01 of the Laws of Guyana they are not supposed to be speaking with the media. “We needed the authorities to know what is going on.”
According to the concerned warders, the situation at the Camp Street prison is in dire need of investigation by the Ministry of Home Affairs and an impartial board of individuals that can recommend solutions based on their probing.
It was revealed that the major problem at present is a security threat at the prison based of the lack of proper staffing, and the marginalisation of prison warders who voice their respective concern to the prison administration.
According to the warders, chapter 11:01 stipulates, “Every prison officer shall at all times carefully watch the prisoners and shall use the utmost vigilance to promote industry. Officers in charge of work parties shall be responsible for the work output of their parties.”
However, officers noted that this cannot be done when one prison warder is placed in charge of three locations simultaneously.
“The Capital division alone has more than 200 prisoners, Star ward and the Wood prison also have over 200 prisoners and most of the times one officer has to attend to these locations…This is a recipe for disaster.”
It was further disclosed that when information reaches the Minister of Home Affairs the prison authorities pretend that everything is in order and nothing is ever done to fix the various issues and problems that arise within the confines of the Georgetown Prison.
Another officer noted that instead of some of the senior officers upholding the Prison’s rules, they are breaking those rules in almost every way.
Confiscated articles that are found in the prison are returned to prisoners for a fee; money found on prisoners or while searching the prison is divided by the officers, and there is the resale of seized marijuana to prisoners.
“They make us believe that these things are kept in a particular area but they are not properly lodged or not lodged at all.”
Another burning issue was the partial treatment of officers that break the prison rules, “When you are not favoured or you are not related to the senior officers, you receive drastic punishment for minor infringements, but the favoured ones do the worst of things and nothing ever comes out of that, no punishment or reprimand is given.
Sometimes they only get transferred and others who are not favoured get interdicted or fired. “Cell phones, x-rated DVD’s, marijuana and money pass through the front gate courtesy of by prison warders that take bribes.”
Officers also revealed that heavy pilfering is done on the weekends at the Georgetown prison and prisoners are sometimes used to smuggle out grocery and other food supplies that are intended for prisoner.
The officers collectively agreed that there are many square pegs in round holes at the Georgetown prison and if nothing is done to rectify the system there will be dire consequences that will ultimately affect society as a whole.
Prison officials and police are concerned at the recent discovery of a .32 round during a search of the Georgetown Prisons which flashes back to the infamous February 2002 jailbreak, and fear that persons may have managed to smuggle at least one firearm into the jail.
When this newspaper contacted the Director of Prison’s Dale Erskine, he said that he takes note of the allegations that are being made.
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