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Joint Services lock down Camp Street Prison following mini protest
Up to late last night members of the Joint Services were locked in a standoff with inmates at the camp street prison who are demanding the removal of a controversial warden who was recently placed in charge of the facility.
Heavily armed police ranks surround the prison during yesterday’s unrest.
The prisoners claim that they are very uncomfortable with Officer Gladwin Samuels being at the helm of the Camp Street Jail, since he was implicated in the murder of an inmate in 2008.
Their protest actions saw mostly inmates of the capital sections of the facility chanting slogans through barriers overlooking the prison’s perimeter walls, calling for Samuel’s removal.
Kaieteur News understands that a section of the Capital division which houses remand prisoners was breached.
As the chanting grew louder and efforts to silence the prisoners failed, the police were summoned and several patrol units responded.
They were followed by other ranks from the Tactical Services Unit.
Even the fire brigade was on standby inside the prison.
This, however, seemed to incense the inmates further.
The prisoners accused officer Samuels of inhumane treatment and of terrorizing prisoners. Samuels, along with officers Kurt Corbin in 2008 was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of inmate Edwin Niles.
It is alleged that the two, on July 11 2008, killed Edwin Niles who was an inmate at the Georgetown Prisons. The duo was eventually freed of the charges. They were both superintendents at the time. They have since been promoted.
“He say he gon kill we, but we gon kill he fuss,” one inmate shouted to media personnel who were standing outside the prison walls.
Apart from the alleged fear of Samuels, the prisoners highlighted the delay in having their day in court.
They claimed that over 300 of them are awaiting trial, adding that they are crammed into an overcrowded facility without proper food.
“Every day is de same stinking food. De wardens dem locking down people in hey and ain’t even want we family dem visit we fuh give we food,” another inmate blurted out.
The inmates made it clear that they want a return of former Director of Prisons Dale Erskine who they said looked into their concerns whenever these were raised.
But Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell told this newspaper that the report he got was that someone from outside threw something over the prison walls, and a prisoner collected it.
He said that when prison authorities tried to seize it, they were met with strong resistance.
According to the Commissioner, the inmates broke several electrical fittings in protest. He said that they were monitoring the situation since they feared that the inmates would use the darkness of night to carry out further acts of vandalism inside the prison.
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