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Jailhouse Crisis
Published: Friday | August 27, 20108 Comments and 0 Reactions
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
The Government is contemplating the establishment of a new lock-up facility at Up Park Camp, St Andrew, in the face of unprecedented overcrowding in all police lock-ups across the island, The Gleaner has learnt.
A reliable source said the Government intends to fast-track its plans as cells across the island are bursting at the seams.
There are indications that the vast spike in the number of prisoners is overwhelming the policemen and women who are working to keep them in check.
The police say the enactment of the Bail Act and the proliferation of police operations in recent weeks have yielded a dramatic increase in crime suspects.
"The present rate of intake of prisoners is really blocking up the system," a senior cop said.
"It is literally frightening. The police have to be weighing their options on who to keep as the operational activities are creating drastic fluctuations in the number of persons in custody," said another policeman.
The Gleaner understands that the matter also surfaced this week at a meeting of the high-level National Security Council, headed by Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
Senior police sources said that, on average, the lock-ups across the island are holding at least five times the number of prisoners.
National Security Minister Dwight Nelson told The Gleaner that the matter was being addressed, but declined to elaborate.
Nelson said the public should soon see changes to a number of factors affecting lock-ups, given the work being done by the security forces to apprehend criminals.
However, high-level talks are in train to set up the new facility at Jamaica's massive army base to take the pressure off the police stations.
In the meantime, some police officers are complaining that nothing is being done to address the jail woes.
The Hunts Bay Police Station in the Corporate Area is an example, where its capacity is 28 but, early this week, more than 110 prisoners were squeezed into the cells.
Approximately half the number of cells at the Central Police Station are also in a state of disrepair.
The situation is similar in St James, Clarendon and St Catherine.
Some police were quick to warn that if nothing is done, there is likely to be a tragedy akin to the deaths of three men at the Constant Spring lock-up in October 1992.
"Any day any of these prisoners die, there will be hell to pay," declared a prominent policeman who asked not to be named. "It is really amazing that nothing has happened."
In the 1992 incident, Agana Barrett, Ian Forbes and Vassell Brown suffocated in an overcrowded cell at the Constant Spring Police Station.
They were among 19 men packed inside a poorly ventilated cell at the time.
Human-rights groups said the incident highlighted subhuman conditions at some police stations.
Twelve of the detainees brought civil-action lawsuits against the Government and were each awarded $200,000.
In 1999, the Government accepted liability for the death of Barrett and reached an out-of-court settlement with his family.
Yesterday, police personnel claimed the concrete slabs are veritable ovens, baking the detainees in what amounts to a slow process of torture.
According to the police personnel with whom The Gleaner spoke, at the risk of having to contend with escapes, some police officers rotate prisoners between the cells and hallways.
As a result of this practice, air vents in the roofs have to be sealed to minimise the risk of escape.
This reduces the flow of the already scarce air into the facilities.
gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com
Published: Friday | August 27, 20108 Comments and 0 Reactions
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
The Government is contemplating the establishment of a new lock-up facility at Up Park Camp, St Andrew, in the face of unprecedented overcrowding in all police lock-ups across the island, The Gleaner has learnt.
A reliable source said the Government intends to fast-track its plans as cells across the island are bursting at the seams.
There are indications that the vast spike in the number of prisoners is overwhelming the policemen and women who are working to keep them in check.
The police say the enactment of the Bail Act and the proliferation of police operations in recent weeks have yielded a dramatic increase in crime suspects.
"The present rate of intake of prisoners is really blocking up the system," a senior cop said.
"It is literally frightening. The police have to be weighing their options on who to keep as the operational activities are creating drastic fluctuations in the number of persons in custody," said another policeman.
The Gleaner understands that the matter also surfaced this week at a meeting of the high-level National Security Council, headed by Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
Senior police sources said that, on average, the lock-ups across the island are holding at least five times the number of prisoners.
National Security Minister Dwight Nelson told The Gleaner that the matter was being addressed, but declined to elaborate.
Nelson said the public should soon see changes to a number of factors affecting lock-ups, given the work being done by the security forces to apprehend criminals.
However, high-level talks are in train to set up the new facility at Jamaica's massive army base to take the pressure off the police stations.
In the meantime, some police officers are complaining that nothing is being done to address the jail woes.
The Hunts Bay Police Station in the Corporate Area is an example, where its capacity is 28 but, early this week, more than 110 prisoners were squeezed into the cells.
Approximately half the number of cells at the Central Police Station are also in a state of disrepair.
The situation is similar in St James, Clarendon and St Catherine.
Some police were quick to warn that if nothing is done, there is likely to be a tragedy akin to the deaths of three men at the Constant Spring lock-up in October 1992.
"Any day any of these prisoners die, there will be hell to pay," declared a prominent policeman who asked not to be named. "It is really amazing that nothing has happened."
In the 1992 incident, Agana Barrett, Ian Forbes and Vassell Brown suffocated in an overcrowded cell at the Constant Spring Police Station.
They were among 19 men packed inside a poorly ventilated cell at the time.
Human-rights groups said the incident highlighted subhuman conditions at some police stations.
Twelve of the detainees brought civil-action lawsuits against the Government and were each awarded $200,000.
In 1999, the Government accepted liability for the death of Barrett and reached an out-of-court settlement with his family.
Yesterday, police personnel claimed the concrete slabs are veritable ovens, baking the detainees in what amounts to a slow process of torture.
According to the police personnel with whom The Gleaner spoke, at the risk of having to contend with escapes, some police officers rotate prisoners between the cells and hallways.
As a result of this practice, air vents in the roofs have to be sealed to minimise the risk of escape.
This reduces the flow of the already scarce air into the facilities.
gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com
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