71 women languish in prison

Sources at the Golden Grove Prison told Newsday the incarceration of the women has led to a serious overcrowding problem and the prisons authorities want them removed from the facility in the fastest possible time.

Prisons officers told Newsday they do not have the facilities to house the women and most of them do not have beds to sleep on or proper accommodation. They described the conditions under which the women are being kept as inhumane.

Most of the women have expressed the desire to be deported to their respective countries.

More than 75 percent of the women are from Colombia , Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic.

They were lured to this country to work and send money to their families.

When the women were detained last Saturday, the police and immigration division said they were exploring an investigation involving possible human trafficking. The immigration department revealed the women were being processed and attempts were being made for deportation. Newsday learned that the immigration department was experiencing difficulties in having the women deported because certain arrangements have to be put in place to make this possible.

Browne and Prisons Commissioner John Rougier were both unavailable for comment on the matter yesterday.

They were reported to be in meetings and their cellphones were switched off.

The 71 women and three men were detained last Saturday night following a massive police and immigration exercise at the Villa Capri Hotel.