Prison officer recounts procedural difficulties during riot

May 01, 2016 News

Prison Officers testifying at the Commission of Inquiry, (COI) into the March 2 and 3, Camp Street Prison riot have revealed that there were a number of technical difficulties on the day of the deadly incident.
The COI was established following one of the deadliest riots that took place within the prisons in recent years; 17 inmates perished in the riot. Another died of a heart attack.
According to the rules of procedure, the Commission was expected to render its report, findings and recommendations to the Minister of Public Security.
Stakeholders whose views are being considered by the Commission so far, include staff of the Prisons and their representative unions, members of the Judiciary, prisoners accommodated within the Camp Street facility, functionaries in the Ministries of Public Health and Social Protection and any other stakeholder whose input would be deemed appropriate.
The Inquiry is being conducted in the Conference Room of the Department of Public Service, Ministry of the Presidency, 164 Waterloo Street, South Cummingsburg.
Last week, Chief Prison officers, Roddy Denhart, Patricia Anderson and Prison officer/Trainer, Owen Charles, gave similar accounts of the event and recounted to the Commission, the courage it took to endure the threats and eventually remove the burnt corpse of prisoners, who perished in the fire.
Denhart had told the Commission that there was difficulty sounding the alarm at the first sight of the fire on March 3, last. He noted that this is contrary to the standard operating procedure of the prison.
The officer told the Commission that he was made aware of the fire by the wardens but the siren did not immediately go off.
He said that when the alarm eventually sounded and the Guyana Fire Department was alerted the fire had already consumed sections of Capital ‘B’ and Capital ‘A ‘of the dormitories.
The witness recounted that the fire destroyed the dorms quickly even as joint forces officers fought to open the doors and release the inmates trapped inside the buildings. Denhart said that efforts to release the prisoners trapped inside Capital ‘A’ proved especially difficult since the door was jammed.
According to Denhart, by the time the fire service arrived on the scene the building were significantly engulfed in flames and thick black smoke was already emanating from those areas.
He said that at one point inmates were heard cursing and threatening the wardens. Denhart told the tribunal, however that several prisoners came out of the Capital B unharmed. The witness said that shortly after the fire was contained, dead bodies were taken from the burnt dormitories.
Speaking about the most recent riots at the prisons, the officer revealed that officers were choked, robbed and even threatened with knives within the walls of the Georgetown Prison.
On Tuesday, Prison Officer, Dekanna Benjamin, testified before the Commission of Inquiry, (COI) into the deadly March 3, incident.
She noted the need for increased security, staff members and the implementation of cameras and monitors at the Camp Street Prison facility, are among the things needed to secure the loopholes in the prison system.
Director of Prisons, Carl Graham, told the Commission that overcrowding, prison gangs and a shortage of staff are among the root causes of riots within the prisons.
He explained that together with the extreme overcrowding, inmates often form gangs and create rivalry among each other. He said that some prisoners are known for forming gangs and for being ring leaders. Graham disclosed that efforts to break up the gangs prove difficult for officers of the prisons because the prison accommodation is limited.
Under cross examination from the Commission’s Counsel, Excellence Dazzell, Graham explained that there were plans to construct a larger prison facility outside of the city, but the plan had been averted.
Graham revealed that the plans were on the table for some time now but the Government opted to build a Marriott Hotel instead.
He told the Commission that had the government not been reluctant to build the new prison, instead of giving the project the attention and support to the Marriott, the current problem of overcrowding would have been significantly alleviated.

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Prison officer recounts procedural difficulties during riot

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