Prison infrastructure falling apart: Official

SOME prison facilities still being used today were built during the colonial days and badly need to be renovated and upgraded, a senior prison officer says.
Correctional Service College commander Chief Supt Kiddy Keko said some of the infrastructures were falling apart including buildings, staff quarters and offices. He called on the Government to increase the Correctional Service annual budget to cater for the upgrading of its facilities.
“There are 22 State prisons around the country with over 1000 staff and their families,” Keko said.
“In order to rehabilitate convicts like murderers and rapists, officers need proper facilities to use. It is their right to be protected under a proper roof to do their jobs effectively.”
He said the Correctional Service was allocated about K166 million annually which was not enough for the rehabilitation process.
Keko, the new commander of the training college, said facilities at Bomana in Port Moresby were “reasonably equipped” but there was a need to have new training programmes to up-skill staff.
He said this was the way forward for the Correctional Service.
Keko hopes that with a change in Government now, the prisons department will be given more funding.