Caribbean Heads of Prisons and Correctional Services have resolved to approach the Caricom Secretariat in pushing a case for its recognition as part of the regional security architecture.
The heads met over the last five days and discussed a range of issues for improving the penal system, the adoption of best practices and the more topical issue of overcrowding, where there was consensus for the judicial system to review its sentencing policy which could in the long-run help to reduce this challenge.
At the conclusion of the conference yesterday, President of the Association of Caribbean Heads of Prisons and Correctional Services (ACHPCS) and Trinidad Commissioner of Prisons John Rougier told reporters that all 13 Caribbean countries represented have ratified a declaration in which they have acknowledged that their challenges are similar.
Overcrowding
With reference to overcrowding, Rougier said there was consensus that the criminal justice system made limited use of alternative punishment for offenders and noted that the system will have to be more holistic in its approach. However he noted that the issue was not unique to Caribbean prisons and was also an international phenomena. In this regard, he said it has been proposed that prison heads work closely with the criminal justice system to discern whether alternatives to custody could be implemented in cases where they may be relevant. He also pointed to the concept of community sentencing in which probation officers and social workers would have to become involved. He noted too that in some countries the heads of penal facilities have proposed the construction of new facilities or the extending of current ones where necessary.
In Trinidad and Tobago, he said, overcrowding existed more in the remand section. To deal with this issue, he said, the current facilities are to be expanded shortly while a new facility is to be constructed in the southern part of Trinidad.
Meanwhile he said the heads also discussed the possibility of introducing ways to assist in the conduct of speedy trials and had examined teleconferencing as one such method.
The issue of training for prison officers was also a sore point discussed and the heads have committed to working towards the establishment of a regional training facility to assure standardization and as part of the efforts to maintain international standards in the delivery of services, Rougier said.
He acknowledged that there was need to enhance prison capabilities to deal with health issues.
He also told reporters that there was a feeling of confidence among prison heads that there is much they could do in terms of collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to tackle crime in the region.
Society and media
He emphasized that the society and media had a role to play and pointed out that not only negative aspects should be reported about prison facilities but when good things are happening they should also be reported on.
Touching on the issue of cell phones penetrating the system, the ACHPCS head told reporters that the issue was not unique to Guyana. However he said in his country they are reviewing the telephone system inside the prison so inmates could at least make contact with their families.
Concern about the phones entering the system mostly centred around the fact that some prisoners were using them to make contact with criminals on the outside and even to plan criminal activities.
He said from experience he felt that 60% of the phones which slipped past the vigilance of prison officers were used by prisoners to contact relatives while the other 40% were used to plan criminal activities. “So the in-prison telephone service to them is being reviewed in Trinidad so at least contact with their families could be had,” he noted.
Condoms
Local Prisons head Dale Erskine was asked about the issue of condoms within the prison system in light of sexually transmitted diseases, an issue which had caused widespread debate in the past. In response Erskine told reporters that nothing in the law stipulated that condom distribution should be carried out in prisons, but homosexuality in the prisons was a reality. However he said the prisons administration here would not subscribe to anything which the law does not allow. Trinidad will chair the next Caribbean Heads of Prisons and Correctional Services Conference next year.
