Find root cause of prison breakouts

WE are still waiting for the outcomes of investigation outcomes of the numerous prison breakouts.
Just recently, 49 prisoners dashed for freedom at Beon Jail in Madang, a start of the breakout season again.
This is a clear indication that the Papua New Guinea Correctional Services has not come up with any tangible counter measures to address the systemic and persistent jail breakouts.
As in the past, the investigations will be the same, lacking in-depth analysis in finding the root cause of breakouts.
The investigations will most likely be conducted by same officers who have the tendency of protecting the interest and image of the Correctional Services’ management and blaming the simple warders on the ground.
There are so many Correctional Services policies that do not address the insecurities facing the jails across the country.
The Government must conduct an investigation into this.
On every working shifts, there is a supervisor (duty non-commissioned officer).
In some cases, a duty manager (duty officer) is there to oversee operations.
Then you have the manager operations and the commander heading the jail, the divisional head which is assistant commissioner, deputy commissioner operations and the Correctional Services commissioner.
If safe containment is the core business of the Papua New Guinea Correctional Services, then the entire command structure must be replaced.
Just last year, almost 200 prisoners escaped from major jails in the country.
Last Jan 19, Buimo Jail started the season with 17 detainees breaking out.
That resulted in the deaths of a detainee and an officer.
On Feb 24, in Baisu Jail in Western Highlands, about 102 prisoners broke out.
Two months later (April 28), 11 prisoners escaped from the Kerevat Jail in East New Britain.
Four months later (Aug 14), another 47 prisoners broke out of Buimo Jail, 11 of whom were shot and killed.
What’s pivotal to any security organisation is the intelligence capacity in identifying potential risk and recommend treatment options.
There are lesson learned from previous incidents but the breakouts doesn’t show that.

Tired Pines