Retired commanding officer calls to rehabilitate prison

By JIMMY KALEBE
A RETIRED Correctional Service (CS) commanding officer of Buimo Jail has called for the prison facility to be rehabilitated and upgraded to a maximum security unit (MSU).
Chief Supt (retired) Samson Jaro said this would guard against the mass jail breakouts experienced at the jail since 2016.
Jaro said authorities have to consider doing away with visits by relatives of prisoners as this was a contributing factor to the break outs.
He said the aging facilities at Buimo could not adequately hold high risk prisoners and the rehabilitation was needed.
“Authorities must make this facility into a MSU, as initially, it was built as an open institution where prisoners were able to take part in work parties outside the prison,” he said.
Jaro said if Buimo was a MSU, high risks prisoners would be locked inside a secured compound awaiting their sentencing.
With this prison being centrally located, Jaro said Buimo Jail, it could serve both the Highlands and Mamose if it was a MSU. “Prisoners, when classified from provinces in those regions can then be sent to the MSU at Buimo while the ones that are classified as low risk can be kept at rural lock-ups or provincial jails in the region.”
He said when studying the major jail breaks since 2016, those who escaped were from within the compound and not in the work party.
Jaro said continuous jail break-outs revealed that the facility was not capable of holding prisoners.
Correctional Service Commissioner Stephen Pokanis last week confirmed that Buimo would be converted to a maximum security unit, a remand and female centre.
“There will be a remand centre, a female and adult male detainees’ centre,” Pokanis said.
He said the adult male convicted detainees would be rehabilitated and reclassified as low risk prisoners and would be transferred to a new facility once established.
“The dialogue on this reform started in 2017 and 2018 with the Morobe administration and CS has a plan in place to construct a second facility in Bulolo but that depends on funds.”