Leave-of-absence issue of prisoners to be investigated

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
THREE senior correctional officers at headquarters in Port Moresby have been appointed to investigate the leave-of-absence issue of prisoners at Bomana Jail.
Senior operations officer Rueben Manamb said Correctional Services Commissioner Michael Waipo has appointed sergeant-major Robert Kanabote and Southern Region assistant commissioner Henry Wavik to investigate if prisoners who go out on leaves of absence have breached procedure.
“This investigation follows the call by the prime minister to ban the leaves of absence,” he said.
“It was claimed to have been breached by eight prisoners who had gone out of prison on leaves of absence to seek medical attention.”
Kanabote said the investigation, which begins today, would be for them to revisit the classification process that determined the release of prisoners.
He said there were a couple of permissions that leave of absence covered which were claimed to have been abused by the detainees that went out.
“It is believed that the leave of absence have been abused,” Kanabote said. “There were reports we received from the public that instead of those detainees doing things that they should have been doing, they did other things.”
Kanabote said some were released to go to hospital but went out and did other things.
Meanwhile, assistant commissioner for New Guinea Islands Philip Eka said the investigation would determine whether the leave-of-absence process should be taken out of the Correctional Services laws or be reviewed.