I have a problem with Mr. Erskine’s presence

Mar 14, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I do not think that the entire Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate the recent riots in the Camp Street Prison should be a public spectacle. Neither do I think that Mr. Dale Erskine should be a sitting member the commission. Except that the inmates who testify will be placed in some kind of a witness protection programme, I think that their testimonies should be off camera, minus Mr. Erskine.
I have visited and worked with prisons in several countries and if there is one thing I believe I am an 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; (a) Mr. Erskine will have to recuse himself from the commission, (b) parts of the hearing (especially the parts where the inmates testify), 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 there is an option for the inmate 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 ax will fall at 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 – this is where a spouse or loved one is allowed to enter the prison confinement and have intimate relationship with their incarcerated lover.
Another is Prison Mentality – this 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 where a prisoner tells the authorities about the violations that happen in the prison. What this CoI is asking the inmates to do, in essence, is snitch.  They are asking the current inmates 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 was 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 will seek to do harm to that inmate.
Therefore, it is very unlikely that any inmate will tell the commission what they really need 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. It is the perception that this Commission 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 will solve the issues at hand.
Editor, I would personally 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. As 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 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 highly suggest that the conveners of the CoI take another look, both at the construct and the 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.
Wendell Jeffrey, Pastor
Independent Candidate
Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust Constituency #8

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