Prison administrators not blameless for breakdown in the system

Dear Editor,
I WRITE this letter out of concern for what I believe to be a demonstration of unprofessional and self-serving behaviour, on the part of Guyana’s Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, when he answered questions from representatives of the local media on the reasons for the prisoners protest on September 19th, 2017.

The director stated, “The escapees wanted steak for breakfast and it was not available.” He was referring to the recent protest by some inmates in the Camp Street Prison, who were protesting against the porridge served to them for breakfast. It is my opinion that his comments on this matter were irresponsible. His propagandising was designed to influence public opinion against the protesting prisoners. This approach is counter-productive to improving relations between inmates and officers – apparently this is not the goal of the prison administration.

Mr. Samuels is fully aware that his tenure as Head of the Guyana Prison Service has attracted several negative reports from various quarters, including incarcerated prisoners and prison officers he supervises. It was a result of the pressure and public scrutiny he is under that he made this most asinine and irresponsible statement, when he gave the impression that the prisoners wanted steak for breakfast.

My concern resides in the fact that someone, who over the years of his close relationship with the prison service like Samuels has had, can, and very deliberately so, misrepresent information to the public with the intention of deflecting from himself, responsibility for the breakdown in the administration of the prison services and the resulting consequences. I am contending here that the incident on September 19th, 2017, cannot be viewed in isolation. It has to be seen in the context of the general crisis existing in the prisons.

The administrators of the prisons, of whom Samuels is a key player, is pivotal to what is taking place and are not blameless. Ridiculous statements such as the one with which Samuels was credited cannot, and will not absolve him and those other persons who are responsible for the running of the prisons from some of the blame that has led to the chaos within the prison system.

I speak here as a person, who in the 1980s, served a three-year sentence both in the Georgetown and Mazaruni prisons. During the period of my incarceration, inmates were never given “steak” for breakfast – not even on important celebratory days like Independence, Republic and Christmas Day. I challenge Mr. Samuels to name one occasion, in his years of experience in the prison service, when steak was served as breakfast to prisoners. I have for political and personal reasons over the years been paying attention to what has been happening in this country’s prison system and have never heard of an improvement in the condition of life in the prison that has seen prisoners being treated with a steak for breakfast in recognition of a special occasion.

In fact, it is well known that the meals prisoners are sometimes fed with are unfit for human consumption. Mr. Samuels must be aware of allegations which are levelled at prison officers, including some, high up in the chain of command, of stealing and carrying out of the prisons – for use in their homes — the dietary supplements that have been purchased for the preparation of meals for the prisoners.

The situation in Guyana’s prisons demands an intense, systemic investigation, so that the political directorate can come to grips with what is taking place, thereby allowing it to make the required changes, which would cater for an improvement in the overall administration of the prisons. The recent disruptions in the prisons, including the massive fires and the consequential loss of human lives and property, are clear indicators that there are serious problems within the system that can no longer be ignored.

I therefore want to use this opportunity to call on the coalition government to, as a matter of urgency, put in place the mechanism for the systemic audit of the prisons before the situation worsens.

Regards
Tacuma Ogunseye

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.