By Leroy Smith

THE perennial problem of lengthy delays in trials and magistrates’ tendency to remand suspects on first appearance are among some of the issues that could have helped spark the deadly fire at the Camp Street Prison last week.

This is according to Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, who said he had visited the penal facility some four months ago and spoken with some of the inmates, who had raised these issues with him. He expressed frustration that the concerns which the prisoners raised with him and a team were never addressed, although the ministry had sought to have those addressed.

Seventeen prisoners were burnt to death and several others were injured when riot broke out at the penitentiary on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

According to Minister Ramjattan, during his visit to the jail, four months ago, he touched every corner of the New Capital ‘A’ Section of the prison, where he met with the prisoners, who raised several concerns with him.

Top on the list of concerns was the lengthy delays that they had to endure before going to trial. He said there was one young man — who died in the fire –- with whom he had spoken, who had indicated his frustration at having waited almost ten years to have his trial started.

According to the Public Security Minister, during that meeting, the issues of denial of bail for some offences, nutrition, and the general condition of the prisons were also raised by the inmates, and the government had taken a decision to see how best those could have been addressed.

The minister noted that the issues of further remanding prisoners and remanding prisoners on their first appearance for certain offences were raised at the judicial level, since those issues contributed to overcrowding and overpopulation; but he said those concerns were taken very seriously by the judiciary, as he stressed that the executive has no control of the judiciary, which is a constitutional and independent arm of government.

Ramjattan said that while persons ought to face the penalties for crimes committed, one has to also look at the burden on the state, especially on the face of further remanding persons to prison and also remanding them to prison on their first appearance.

He said that it costs the state almost half a million dollars a year to care for each prisoner, and should there be a tabulation of the entire population within the prison system, one would see clearly that those who have been languishing there without trials, coupled with those who are serving time, it would be easy to determine the financial burden on the state.

Commenting on the issue of bail, Ramjattan commended former Chief Justice Ian Chang for the position he took to hear bail applications on Fridays, which was described as “Happy Hour” by some persons. According to the minister, the mechanism was indeed useful for the purpose of the prisons and its population, as it eased the situation behind the walls. He was however quick to point out that it also did cause some concerns within the Guyana Police Force, as the investigators and prosecutors saw it as making the work of law enforcement difficult, since these very persons would usually return to their unlawful acts.

“That in itself created a collision course, and we are going to find that because the rouge ones were back out on the streets,” Ramjattan explained.

Commenting also on the remedial works presently ongoing at the Camp Street Prison following last week’s unfortunate incident, the Public Security Minister explained that the works are going to be a huge financial burden on the state, but they have to be done.

Ramjattan said that at the moment he was not familiar with the final cost to renovate the damaged areas of the prisons, but he was quick to point out that in cases where emergency works have to be done, the sums are often more, as persons have to be pulled off from other jobs and items have to be procured immediately.

Among the works being done at the Camp Street Prison is the installation of steel plates and other more durable infrastructure at the facility.

Ramjattan also explained that, given the amount of monitoring and other works the officers at the facility were forced to do in light of the unrest, he was not sure that enough time was given to itemize everything that was damaged, and which has to be replaced.