Prison service charter fights corruption: CS

THE Prison Service Charter is a tool to fight corruption in Correctional Services (CS) institutions, CS assistant commissioner policy planning David Suagu says.
“The prison charter is a set of laws on how CS staff, prisoners and visitors can expect to be treated at prison institutions,” he said.
Suagu, during a prison charter workshop for independent monitoring group and advocates yesterday in Port Moresby, said the charter was not in isolation to the laws of CS, it ensured that everyone performed their rightful duties.
He said it was a concept issued by CS that allowed institutions to be open to suggestions, comments and queries from CS staff, prisoners and visitors about the institution to help improve in its service delivery.
“The purpose for this is to improve transparency and accountability in the provision and delivery of prison service and management and to empower communities and stakeholders of CS to hold each other responsible and accountable in performing their roles and duties,” he said.
“The charter is designed in such a way that we provide a complaint and suggestion box in various locations in the prison so prisoners have the opportunity to write what they think, that includes staff and visitors.
“The charter is not about punishment, it is about identifying and correcting. It is about identifying what the issues are and correcting it so that it sits well with our laws, the important thing is that we address our people and at the same time we are responsive to the needs and demands of service delivery by our stakeholders.”
Suagu said currently four CS institutions – Kerevat in East New Britain, Ningrum in North Fly, Biru in Northern and Daru prison in Western – were operating the prison charter.