Detainees say no to death penalty

 THE 300-odd detainees at Kerevat pri­son in East New Britain have asked the government to scrap the death penalty.

This was part of a list of grievances which the inmates presented to Correctional Services Minister Jim Simitab and Commissioner Martin Balthazar.

Speaking on their behalf, detainee Steven Ingape challenged Simitab and Balthazar to table in parliament their grievances on the implementation of the detainee rehabilitation programme.

Ingape said the welfare of detainees was a major setback for them especially specialist medical treatment and deprivation of rights faced by transferred detainees. 

Above all, the Kerevat jail is against the legalisation of the death penalty. 

Balthazar informed the prisoners that three projects to be implemented by Feb 3 next year under the national government’s 2013 service delivery programme stood to address the concerns 

raised.