Parole system coming

CABINET has appointed a committee to examine the feasibility of setting up a parole system at the nation’s prisons. Yesterday, Junior National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said the committee was expected to report to Cabinet on the matter and put forward recommendations. Hinds said if the recommendations favoured putting the parole system in place, it would be implemented. He added that government supported the parole system since it would effectively deal with the problem of overcrowding. The minister also revealed that Prime Minister Patrick Manning was concerned with the fact that many people were in prison for petty offences and he (Manning) felt this should be dealt with.

“The Prime Minister has taken a personal concern about the number of persons in jail for petty offences and feels prison should be reserved for dangerous and persistent offenders,” Hinds said. The US parole system was being studied by the committee to ascertain whether it could be applied to Trinidad and Tobago. Hinds made it clear that allowing conjugal visits for prisoners was not on the cards now since government did not consider the matter pressing. He did admit that conjugal visits might be the most effective part of a prisoner’s rehabilitation process.

Acting Prisons commissioner John Rougier said a lot of work was being undertaken at the prisons to improve the facilities for both the prisoners and prison officers. The acting commissioner revealed the priority right now was to protect the society, the prisoners and prison officers. Government is also in the process of increasing the intake of prison officers. Under the current system, the ratio is one prison officer to approximately 30 prisoners. Yesterday, several weapons, cellphones and chargers seized from various prisoners were also put on display for the media.