Dear Editor,
This letter is an appeal for the relevant authorities to investigate the conditions under which juvenile suspects and defendants are detained in police detention facilities in this country. I am making this appeal in the hope that something could be done urgently to remedy a situation which came to my attention when I visited a 12-year-old child who is being detained at the Ruimveldt police station.
The mother of this child came to the Linden Legal Aid Centre on Tuesday, November 27 and complained that her child, who is currently being prosecuted in the Kwakwani Magistrate’s Court on a change of break and enter and larceny was being beaten in the lock-ups by an older juvenile. The mother also stated that she had retained an attorney to represent her child in court and had made a partial payment of his fees, but the attorney never appeared in court to represent her child. I have not yet been able to verify the charges against this child, but I advised the mother to visit the Attorney-General’s Chamber and make a report concerning the non-appearance of the attorney in court. I also promised to visit the child upon my return to Georgetown, which I did today.
When I questioned the child, he said that the juvenile who was beating him has since been transferred to the New Opportunity Corps. However, I observed that this child, who is of East Indian descent, diminutive in stature, and appears to be much younger than his age, is being held in a cell along with many other older, fully-grown juveniles. The possibility of future beatings by other detainees is ever-present. I was very disturbed to see that this cell is not only very poorly ventilated, but is devoid of any basic amenities. There is absolutely nothing in the area where these juveniles are being held but a cold, totally bare concrete floor with standing-room only. Children who are exposed to this type of treatment can develop what is known as the ‘brutalisation effect’ for which the entire society pays when they are released.
I also cannot imagine that children who have not yet been convicted of a crime, and are entitled to be presumed innocent until found guilty, are being detained for months under conditions where it must be very difficult to breathe in the hot and humid climatic conditions, much less to rest or sleep. I cannot think of a better environment than this, not only for all forms of victimization of younger by older children, but also for deviance amplification where young children have nothing to do but to learn the wrong lesson from older, more experienced juvenile detainees.
The Linden Legal Aid Centre will provide the name and address of this mother and her child to the relevant authorities, if requested to do so.
Yours faithfully,
Joan Ward-Mars
Linden Legal Aid Centre
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to the Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee and the Commissioner of Police (Ag) Henry Greene for any comments they may wish to make.
