Correctional Service needs change

AS reported in the front page of The National on Monday, it is sad that 11 who dashed for freedom died from the guns of the very agency that is responsible for their rehabilitation and wellbeing.
Many times in the media, we hear from the Correctional Service that the inmates use dangerous weapons against the guards, who are always heavily armed with high-powered guns.
This reporting is not always true and the wardens know this.
Those in prisons are humans who understand and feel the trouble you wardens are going through with them to give them a second chance to correct themselves.
If the law forfeits their freedom, then prison standards should be raised.
Train more court staff so that the frustration of being remanded and awaiting court circuits decreases.
Serving a sentence, or being a remandee should not be a death sentence.
Most detention centres are manned by guards with high-powered firearms and most guards caught off-guard are simply due to carelessness on their part.
The seriousness of the inmates’ crimes varies, some petty while others are serious with high risk but the desire for freedom is the same across the board.
For instance, someone caught for stealing a can of fish is in remand along with a cold-blooded murderer.
While we can say every wrong is a wrong, the opposite is also true, that every right is not always right.
We should start to differentiate the risk of those committed for trials including those sentenced, and have different jail locations for them, from high risk, medium, to very low risk prisons.
It will be heartbreaking to hear in remandee Johnny’s funeral eulogy that he died dashing for freedom because he was hungry and stole a biscuit.
Johnny hailed from one of PNGs economically underprivileged area, was looking for work in the city to continue his education after dropping out of Grade 8.
Freedom is priceless and only a few privileged exchange what they possess for it.
Some detainess come from broken homes and will exchange freedom with their lives which at the time maybe their only prized possession, to be free in the midst of misery. To die a free man is better than dying in captivity.
The 11 from Buimo died in captivity.
They died in their few minutes of struggle and freedom.
We cannot go on killing young men in this manner.
The few privileged wrongdoers buying their freedom through crafty lawyers are also demanding freedom in acceptable ways as well.
We must stop the increasing number of our young men dying while dashing for their freedom.
There’s no difference, we are as guilty as much as the eleven who died, except that we commit our crimes in our minds, done and gone unnoticed by the law.

Pastor Samson Supaka
Lutheran Church – Wewak