Obscene delay

Though two years have passed and many reforms have been implemented, the people behind the jailbreak have never been held accountable.

Disciplinary proceedings against three prisons officers are delayed. The failure of the Public Service system to facilitate a swift resolution to these matters is an embarrassment and a threat to the security of the public at large.

On July 24, 2015, four remanded inmates escaped from the Port of Spain Prison. With the use of illicit firearms, they shot their way out of the premises.

The jailbreak resulted in the deaths of three people – including a promising police officer – and two of the escaped inmates. Two prison officers were wounded.

As noted by a Parliament committee in a recent report, the jailbreak raised questions about the general safety of the public, National Security safety standards, security systems in the Prison Service, and the Prison Service’s ability to effectively manage and rehabilitate inmates.

Mere months after the July 2015 events, the public was again confronted with another scare when it was reported that the Port of Spain Prison was on high alert in response to rumours of a planned violent breakout involving a man charged with murder in a high-profile case.

The Commissioner of Prisons stated that security had been stepped up and the Prison Service was liaising with its national security counterparts to compare intelligence.

Mercifully, the threatened violence did not ensue.

Several commendable things were done to improve standards in the system after 2015. The number of armed personnel was increased at gates, special visits regularised, search procedures bolstered, a strict dress code introduced for visitors, random searches introduced, full-body scanners introduced, and CCTV cameras installed. These followed upon previous reforms such as mobile phone jammers and blockers.

However, according to evidence taken by the Joint Select Committee on National Security, there remain gaps in the coverage of surveillance at prisons.

And since 2015, even more alarming problems have emerged relating to the disciplinary processes for prisons officers. There have been problems constituting a panel to probe charges and then long delays in getting the work of this panel up and running.

According to the committee, “In relation to the investigations into the events of July 24, 2015, the committee finds that the almost lifeless disciplinary investigation process of the Public Service Commission is woefully defective and tortuous.

It needs immediate rectification.” The suspended prisons officers – who may not have done anything wrong – are being severely punished by the delays. Worse, according to the committee, “wrongdoers can manipulate the process already wrongly balanced in their favour using cleverly devised avoidance tactics.” The message being sent is that the State is soft when it comes to traitors within the ranks of the law enforcement agencies. That is not just woefully defective, it is obscene.

Aside from all of this, it is also unclear whether we have learned lessons in relation to deeper, more long-term issues facing the system.

The problem of prison overcrowding remains a serious threat to the overall integrity of the system, resulting in poor conditions for inmates and hampering rehabilitation efforts by turning jails into a special form of punishment.

The need to relocate the Port of Spain Prison has also not been addressed.

As this sad anniversary approaches, we urge the State to ensure another year does not pass without good progress on these issues.