Fated, slated, stated; the prison riots

Mar 06, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
Now that the smoke has cleared away, the dead has been identified, the prison environment has been fated, principal prison employees stated (Deputy Prison Director) and an inquiry slated. Permit me to ask a question yet again, hopefully for the final time—Quo Vadis? When will the rhetoric cease.
The conflict is known, the clinical demands, the beat and the cast pages still unchanged, except that the montage this time was a building. The current Government has immediately put in place a Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Retired Judge James Patterson, Former Director of Prisons Dave Erskine and human rights activist Merle Mendonca, all with the intent of ascertaining the causes behind this so called powder keg.
Perhaps it is timely to jog the minds of the likely inquirers, as well as the general public regarding reports, reviews, recommendations that were conducted regarding the same situation that has once again unfolded before our very eyes.
July 2001, a team from Britain, the Consultancy Group of the British Government Cabinet Office Centre for Management and Policy Studies presented its Prison Reform Report to the then Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj. In another reformative face saving process, Cecil Kennard, former Chancellor of the Judiciary, again presented to Gajraj a 30 page Report of Board Of Inquiry into the February 23, 2002 Escape of Five Prisoners from Georgetown Prison.
The Carter Centre of America also presented another report in 2002, calling for the establishment of a Criminal Law Review Committee to examine existing laws, practices and procedures for the criminal justice system especially imprisonment. In like manner, the Guyana Prison Service also produced their own 2001-2011 Strategic Development Plan based on workshops, consultancy reports and visits.
Yet again, in the wake of improvement Justice Ian Chang handed over to over to the Speaker of the National Assembly in May 2004 a 28 page recommendations Report of the Disciplined Services Commission, regarding improvements to the Georgetown, Mazaruni and New Amsterdam prisons.
So many reports! So many recommendations! So many years later and still so little change. Before they add yet another inquiry report to the list then pray tell the populace what part if any of the afore-stated recommendations have been adhered to?
What new manifestations does President Granger hope to have revealed from this hastily contrived Commission? that would be different from the previous one. Perhaps the populace would be better served by having questions answered as to the dispensation of the previous recommendations. This is certainly not the time, with so such a grim death toll, to have face saving measures instituted, as a placatory measure. To quote George Santayana—”Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” How true! Nevertheless, though not the intended message of this letter, there are certain facets of the deadly prison fire that does reveal a totally incompetent prison, staff, administration, not to mention blatantly lax security and safety procedures. Reading through the newspaper that happens to also have readers throughout the diaspora, I was on a whim, led to muse that a bifurcation may be in order , with certain types of news reported to the populace and another type to the intelligentsia.
Yvonne Sam.

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