Prison riot adds to CS woes

LAST Saturday’s riot by inmates at Baisu jail in Western Highlands is a further blow to the country’s struggling correctional service.
In an apparent protest over the Baisu jail management’s decision to disallow visits on the weekend, the prisoners ran through the compound damaging their living quarters and even took two prison wardens hostage.
The jail commander has reported that the cost of damages to prison cells, kitchen utensils, toilets among others, was about K500,000. Because of the extent of the damage and the amount of money required to fix it all, it would take a while before Baisu can be in any position to return to normal operations.
Already 46 inmates have been transferred to other prisons while 300 remained at Baisu but more would be transferred out.
The other prisons where the inmates have been transferred are quite possibly full as well.
Baisu is also holding prisoners from Enga province whose new prison camp at Mukurumanda is still being constructed.
Only a day before the mayhem at the Highlands region’s biggest prison, Correction Service Commission Michael Waipo submitted at the departmental heads meeting in Port Moresby that alternative sentencing should be seriously considered.
He fears the detainee population is likely to increase with increasing population yet the country’s prison holding capacity is limited.
One thing he wants done to improve conditions of the existing prison establishments is a separation of remandees from convicts.
The country’s judicial processes have contributed the detention of remandees in jails for lengthy periods.
The greatest concern here is that these types detainees are simply awaiting trial by courts and each has as good as half a chance to be freed at the end of their trial. Holding them for long periods would be akin to sentencing without trial.
This problem has been highlighted in many discussions including a presentation by a former ombudsman and public prosecutor at an international gathering on justice systems.
Waipo again brought this up at last week meeting of senior government officers and even suggested that his department should be relieved of the task of looking after remandees which should be taken over by a separate authority.
The reality is that of the total 4795 inmates in holding facilities around the country, 1571 are remandees.
It is a grave concern and possibly and indictment on the judicial processes we have as well.
Commenting on Saturday’s riot at Baisu, Western Highlands provincial police commissioner Martin Lakari, also recommended a review the condition of the prison and police cells in the province.
Like the province’s prison, the Mt Hagen police cells, which has space for 80 persons has had to take in more, says Lakari.
He is particularly concerned about the health and safety of inmates and because, in his own words, the cell blocks are not fit for human habitation.
And he is fully aware that under human rights laws, prisoners or detainees should not be kept in such conditions.
The poor conditions of prison establishments in the country not only compromise the inmates’ health and human rights but should now be also a security concern, in light of what happened at Baisu at the weekend.
The correctional service department needs urgent help from government through adequate annual funding for its planned programmes for expansion and improvement.
Its plan to establish rural lock ups in district centres, for example, should be given all necessary support by the national government and even respective district administrations.
The project has started in some districts and more will follow if the current Correctional Service management has its way.
A successful nationwide rollout of the rural lock up project would help minimise overcrowding at provincial jails. It would also help to separate low risk inmates, remandees included, away from the major prison camps so they could serve their terms in district stations while being used in practical community service.
The correction service is in critical need of re-development and expansion of existing facilities. This is because all existing jails are holding numbers of inmates that far exceed their capacity.
There has been very little real capital investment in prisons throughout the country.
No one expects change and improvements overnight; however, there must be a start now before the Correctional Service becomes overwhelmed by a crisis.