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Cops using cameras to spy on females in lockups – former inmates

Apr 30, 2010 News

– Rohee dismisses allegations as blatant lie

Now that the Brickdam Lock-ups which houses male detainees has been rehabilitated, two former inmates of the East La Penitence facility have expressed concerns for the well being of the females who are left to wallow in the filth that has overrun the facility.
The two women who were recently released on bail spoke of deplorable conditions with females huddled together in small spaces on concrete floors, which also houses open containers of faeces and urine.
Additionally, the females are never allowed fresh air to temporarily rid themselves of the stench they are forced to live in for days.
Their sentiments echoed those of a British National who was forced to endure the conditions after she was incarcerated on a drug related charge last year.
The woman had highlighted the deplorable conditions of the facility upon her return to the United Kingdom following the withdrawal of her charge.
One of the former inmates spoke of mattresses placed on the floor which are bug-infested since they are never placed in the sun after several months of different persons sleeping on them.
They also revealed that presently there are two juvenile inmates who have been at the facility since earlier this year awaiting trial for murder.
“These girls come from the interior and they are getting paler by the day. Their skins are full of infections and nobody is looking into their interests,” one former inmate told this newspaper.
The East La Penitence facility is used to house female detainees as well as a holding facility for remanded female prisoners prior to their court dates.
Remanded female prisoners are in most cases brought from the Berbice Prison and are housed for a day or two before appearing in court.
They are then taken back to Berbice are completing their court hearing.
“Most people prefer to stay in Berbice and come down on their court day because to stay at East La Penitence is like a nightmare. When you complain, the police don’t pay you no mind. Is only when some of them get charge and are in the same position as the prisoners then something is done,” one of the former inmates pointed out.
“Even though we have regular contact with our relatives while we are at East La Penitence, we prefer to go to Berbice where we are housed in better conditions,” the former inmate said.
This newspaper contacted Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee yesterday on the matter and he responded by pointing out that no prisoner can decide where they want to be held.
“When I was in prison, I could not decide where I wanted to go,” Rohee told this newspaper.
Meanwhile, in addition to the deplorable conditions at the East La Penitence facility, the former inmates said that ranks there are using the newly installed surveillance cameras for purposes other than what they were installed for.
According to the females, since they are forced to remain half dressed because of the heat in improperly ventilated lock-ups, male ranks are spying on them via the monitors attached to the cameras.
The Home Affairs Minister dismissed this claim as a blatant lie.
“I do not believe their story. They are lying,” Minister Rohee told this newspaper.
The government through the Ministry of Home Affairs has undertaken to rehabilitate a number of police stations including the East La Penitence facility, following the successful rehabilitation of the Brickdam Lock-ups.

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