Dear Editor,

I DO not think that the entire Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the recent Camp Street Prison riots should be a public spectacle; neither do I think that Mr. Dale Erskine should be a sitting member of the commission.And unless the inmates who testify will be placed in some kind of a witness protection programme, I think that their testimonies should be off camera, in the absence of Mr. Erskine.

I have visited and worked with prisons in several countries, and if there is one thing I believe I am expert in, it is criminology and matters relating to prison inmates and the offender population. I also know that if this CoI will get to the bottom of this issue in a way to remedy the situation, the following will have to happen: (a) Mr. Erskine will have to recuse himself from the commission (b) Parts of the hearing, especially the inmates’ testimonies, will have to be off camera; or (c) The inmates will have to be guaranteed their complete and protracted safety if they speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I understand that an inmate has the option to request confidentiality of his testimony; however, if what he says in private is different or more in-depth from what the others say in public, the proverbial axe will fall on him.

There are a few words and terms that are known for their standard meaning in any English-speaking prison around the world. One is “conjugal visit”, which is where a spouse or loved one is allowed to enter the prison confinement and have intimate relationship with the incarcerated lover. Another is “prison mentality”, which is where the ex-offender behaves like an inmate even while he is free. Another word is “snitch” or “snitching”, which is the most universal of all the prison slangs. Snitching is when a prisoner tells the authorities about the violations that happen in the prison.

What this CoI is asking the inmates to do is in essence snitching. The current inmates are being asked to finger prisoners or prison officers who allowed or committed offences behind the prison walls.

Snitching could have some very serious repercussions for an inmate, ranging for mild mistreatment to undignified death, depending on who is affected by the snitch. For example: If an inmate were to say to the CoI on camera that officer “X” takes money to allow matches, cell phones and drugs to enter the prison, the result could be that all those (officers and inmates alike) who benefit from the business of drugs, cell phones and matches entering the prison would seek to harm that inmate. Therefore, it is very unlikely that any inmate will tell the commission what the commission really needs to know while the cameras are rolling, or while the former superintendent is sitting there.

Knowing this as a fact, I will tell you, Editor, that the current approach and construct of the CoI will yield only limited success. However, if the intention of this inquiry is to really get to the root of the causative factors that lend to the recent riots, and if the intentions are to prevent a repeat, then the format and the personnel of the CoI will have to be adjusted.

The perception is that this CoI is conceptually and unintentionally flawed, and in situations like these, perception is reality.

While the tax payers and the media are owed the courtesy of knowing the findings of the CoI, I am sure they will prefer that systems be put in place for the obtaining of tangible and substantive information that would solve the issues at hand.

Editor, personally, I would like this issue to go away. Coincidentally, I live just a few houses from the Camp Street Prison, so I am very concerned about what obtains there. I am also very interested in the safety of those living directly around the Prison. Several of them had expressed to me fear for their lives during the recent riots.

A matter of concern to me also is the financial losses to the businesses that have to close, or to which access is restricted every time the inmates act up. Additionally, this prison is in the Werk-en-Rust area, and I am vying to represent this Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust constituency in the upcoming Local Government Elections; so what bothers my constituents bothers me.

Editor, I have absolutely no problems with Mr. Dale Erskine. He has served both this country and the Guyana Prison Service with exceptional proficiency, and he continues to be an asset to us, even in his retirement. Mr. Erskine is obviously well intentioned. However, because of my professional expertise and because I know how the average inmate thinks, I would strongly suggest that the conveners of the CoI take another look, both at the construct and approach of the commission.

Just by way of comparison, we just had the report from another CoI, the validity of which has been called into question by some, in part because of construct and the approach of that commission. History should be our teacher.
Respectfully,
WENDELL JEFFREY, Pastor
Independent Candidate
Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust Constituency #8