Fuelling a prison riot

Mar 05, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists

Someone once said that while the people entrusted to guard prisoners must be constantly on the alert, they must also take into consideration that prisoners have 24 hours each day to do nothing but to plan to counter the denial of their freedom. This is so for prisons all over the world.
Because of this, some prisons have large compounds and exercise routines that serve as welcome distractions for the inmates. Of course, this does not stop prisoners from longing for their freedom but at least there would be times when they would be distracted.
The Georgetown Prisons, built as it is in the heart of the city, has no room for expansion. At one time it had a central courtyard but rampant overcrowding of the jail has forced the authorities to build even more cell blocks where the open spaces once existed. The result is that for the most part the prisoners must remain confined to their cells.
This situation is what sparked the riots over the past three days that left at least seventeen dead and many others injured. Reports are that by being confined prisoners develop an affinity for those in their confine and so breed gangs. Each gang wants to outdo the other; some want better conditions so there are reports to the authorities when one of the gangs appears to be doing better than the other.
This is being blamed for the recent riots. There was a search that uncovered drugs, phones and offensive weapons. The search certainly did not uncover the many cigarette lighters that were used to start the deadly fires. It is common knowledge that some prison officers aid in the smuggling of things from the outside, including drugs. Then there are those who fashion the dangerous weapons in the workshops, for a fee.
Again, fashioning deadly implements is not unique to prisoners in Guyana. Many of them would say that they need the weapons to defend themselves in the face of naked aggression. Perhaps the deterring effect is what has helped to reduce the incidence of murders behind the prison walls.
On Thursday, as was reported, the prison authorities uncovered numerous deadly weapons. They believed that they had retrieved all that there was to retrieve for now. They were mistaken. One day later in the midst of another riot they found even more deadly weapons in the same area that they had searched the day before.
There are lessons to be learnt. One is that while the courts seem to have little option but to remand the prisoner, the magistrates must realize that they are creating conditions that blow the lid off the system of prison security. But they, the magistrates, are caught between a rock and a hard place. If they do grant bail in affordable amounts then the victim feels disenfranchised as though bail must be punitive.
When the magistrate grants too high bail (something that is intended to have the person charged return to court) then that person must add to the overcrowding of the jail. The simple solution seems to build more jails but that needs money which must be extracted from some other source.
The other alternative is speedy trials, something that is desirable but what is thwarted because the lawyers often grab more than they could handle. They are the ones who seek postponement and delays. Sometimes the prosecution is at fault for failing to complete investigations in a timely manner.
For three days the nation looked at a powder keg that had been under its nose all the time but which it had taken for granted. There may be need for a general review of many policies. Remanding prisoners would always be picked on, even if those released on bail go about their criminal activity as soon as they step from the courthouse.
So we have a catch 22; remand the prisoners and fill up the jail or grant them bail and foster even more crime on the streets. We could move to complete trials speedily but that is easier said than done. Meanwhile, the problems remain.

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Fuelling a prison riot

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