Inmates have rights, says prisons boss

CORRECTIONAL Services acting commissioner Stephen Pokanis says there are laws under Correctional Services that allow detainees to go to hospital despite the risk factor.
Pokanis was responding to the prisoners’ right to leave of absence.
A remandee in Baisu jail, Western Highlands, died after officers would not allow him to go to hospital for treatment.
Pokanis said the leave of absence did not stop officers from taking sick detainees to hospital although there might have been other reasons that could have contributed to his death.
“It is very difficult to build trust and respect among detainees and officers, there will always be escapes,” Pokanis said.
“The institution tried its best to operate within the laws, upon government directives and instructions, and within the international conventions on treatment of detainees, which include human rights matters.”
Pokanis said the medical reports would reveal the cause of death.
The deceased was Kusil Pawa.
Meanwhile, Pokanis said internal investigations into the leave of absence for prisoners to leave the institution for medical reasons was delayed because of lack of funding.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill recently voiced his concern about prison escapes.
Pokanis said the investigation team was appointed by the government with a funding of K200,000.
“They were delayed for some months because funding was not made available,” he said.
He said the prison department was looking at recruiting 120 officers by the end of the year to fill staff shortage in some prisons.
Though the government has frozen recruitment in the public service, filling the gaps in CS institutions was critical, he said
“The new officers will be taken on strength by the end of this year to fill in the shortage of manpower at the Buimo Correctional Institute in Lae, Morobe and other institutions.”
He said a major component will come from the Highlands region.
“If we do not have money to train them, we can only get them on strength so that they are given crash-course to help them get to work,” Pokanis said.