As attacks outside jail escalate…Prison Director wants cops to search inmates heading to court

Mar 06, 2017 News

Deputy Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels believes incidents like the recent stabbing of a prisoner at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts can be eradicated, if police ranks conduct routine searches on prisoners they escort.
The Deputy Prison Director pointed out that prisoners leaving the penitentiaries to attend court are searched with metal detectors. However, he said that police ranks reserve the right to search prisoners, as this would be an additional layer of security.
On February 6, murder accused Timothy Paul Chance was stabbed to the abdomen with an improvised ice pick. The stabbing occurred minutes after Chance and four co-accused (two male and two female) – two of whom are juveniles – were committed to stand trial in the High Court for allegedly killing Professor Pairadeau Mars on May 12, 2016 at Prashad Nagar, Georgetown.

Deputy Director
of Prisons: Gladwin Samuels

The Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts

Chance was stabbed in the abdomen with an improvised weapon when he was accosted by the two male accused.
Chance was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. His attacker was placed on lockdown.
According to reports, there has been an ongoing feud between Chance and the two male co-accused. A source said that the duo have been accusing Chance of leaking information to police, which led to their arrest. The two men had been reportedly plotted to harm Chance if they were not freed of the murder charge.
On that same day, another murder accused, Regus Lamazon whipped out a knife in the police outpost at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts during a brawl between several prisoners who were waiting to attend court hearings. Police ranks immediately called for backup as pandemonium ensued.

Dwain King who was stabbed by Calvin Bailey

Calvin Bailey

Kaieteur News was informed that a fight broke out in the holding area, during which Lamazon pulled out the knife from his pocket in an effort to defend himself. It is still unclear what the prisoners were fighting about.
Minutes after the incidents, the prisoners were all subjected to a search.
But according to a source, the search was futile, since police ranks were unable to retrieve the improvised weapons. Questions have been raised as to where prisoners are getting these weapons from. It is still unclear if they are leaving the jail with the items.
In another instance, a prisoner was spotted in the prison van with a brick. He had threatened to throw it at reporters if they had taken his photograph.
Since the year started, there has been a constant uproar at the City Court in which fights would break out between prisoners in the holding area. In some instances fights would even break out between police officers and prisoners.

Regus Lamazon was seen with a knife in
the court lock ups

Calvin Johnson was brutally attacked by other prisoners in the court lock ups

Last year, a prisoner, who was about to enter the prison van cuffed an Assistant Superintendant of Police (ASP) to his face after condemning the manner in which the officer was speaking to him. Initially, the prisoner had grabbed an iron bar at the back of the vehicle to confront the police officer. However, other ranks intervened and relieved him of the bar.
These incidents have led to an increase in ranks patrolling with high powered rifles at the court. Police ranks at the court were recently given batons.
It has been observed that prisoners are rarely being searched before they are placed in the court look ups, despite there being police ranks with metal detectors at court.
Calvin Johnson called ‘Gun Butt’ was removed from the holding area in a bloody state in early January after he was attacked and beaten by several other prisoners. The 34-year-old man’s entire face was swollen as he was rushed to the Georgetown Hospital.
Johnson and Joshua Meredith are currently on remand for the murder of Paul Rodney, 31, of Lot 530 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Timothy Paul
Chance was stabbed by his co-accused while being escorted to the holding area

Deputy Director Samuels was also reminded of a fight between two prisoners at the ‘New Wing Division’ of the Georgetown Prisons on November 16, 2016.
In that incident murder accused, Calvin Bailey, stabbed convicted drug trafficker Dwain King with an improvised knife. Bailey, who is serving a 15 years jail term, was eventually charged and jailed for an additional two years. Prison sources said that Bailey had alleged that King, a prison orderly, had been in contact with Bailey’s girlfriend.
Later that same month, murder accused Shawn Edinborough was chopped about the body with an improvised cutlass following a fracas in the Young Offenders Block at the Camp Street prison. The 21-year-old was chopped by another prisoner after he and another inmate were accused of stealing a cellular phone.
Samuels disclosed that prisoners would use materials from their beds to make these weapons.
A prison officer, however, revealed that searching inmates helps to minimize instances of them carrying around weapons. The source opined that it is impossible to stop prisoners from getting their hands on these items.
Meanwhile, an inmate at the Camp Street prison explained that beds in prisons are usually made from iron and wood and prisoners would fashion their weapons from these materials. The inmate revealed that prisoners would get help from other prisoners, who work in the prison workshop.