Amid growing support to pardon hundreds of remand prisoners who have been in jail without trial, Prisons Commissioner Sterling Stewart is urging that this not be done willy-nilly, saying there must be proper consultation before any final decision is made.
Stewart made the comment while fielding questions from members of the media after the National Security Officers Foundation’s (NSOF) Fourth Annual Interfaith Service held at City Hall, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Harris has made a proposal for a presidential pardon to be given to prisoners charged with minor offences who were held on remand for periods exceeding the maximum sentence they would have gotten if found guilty for the crime.
Joseph had said the idea was linked to the “Jubilee Year of Mercy” in the Catholic calendar.
There are over 2,235 remand prisoners in the nation’s jails and close to 300 could benefit from such a proposal.
There has been public support from head of the Anglican Church, Bishop Clive Abdullah, and Law Association president Reginald Armour SC, among others.
But head of the Inter Religious Organisation, Brother Harripersad Maharaj, who objected to the suggestion said this would be tantamount to punishing the victims twice.
Stewart said he too was reluctant to sanction such an idea adding: “All the variables and factors must be taken into consideration and most importantly the risks to the community, environment and the neighbourhood before any thought of that.
“We must have a bio-social report and or a suitability report and a joint report coming out of the prisons. But we must get a report from the communities and neighbourhood because you cannot just come up and say we will release people without taking into consideration the threat to law-abiding citizens,” Stewart said.
He said there was a reason why people were sent to jail in the first place but stressed that the facility must not be used as “punishment” via the use of force.
“At the end of the day the inmates are frustrated due to the length of time they are there,” Stewart said.
Restorative justice coupled with various programmes aimed at rehabilitation played a key role in ensuring prisoners were properly prepared to re-enter society, Stewart added.
But there were a few prisoners, he added, who had undergone such initiatives and who could be recommended for release before their time.
“There are some ‘lifers’ who have been there very long and are no longer a risk to society and they could be taken into consideration,” Stewart said.
NO JAILBREAK EVIDENCE, ONLY TALK
Prisons intelligence has unearthed no information which could link recent rumours of a jailbreak to claims made by a former state witness.
On CrimeWatch on CNC3 two weeks ago, she alleged there were already female suicide bombers in T&T, plans to strike Central Trinidad and tall buildings in Port-of-Spain, to overthrow the Government and to stage a jailbreak. But asked about this, Stewart said he had no such information.
“What is happening with the prisons is there are always rumours and allegations about a jailbreak because a lot of people want to do the crime but they do not want to do the time.
“Because of the length of time they are in that environment who would not want to escape? It is not the most ideal to be in,” Stewart said.
On April 17 this year, the Port-of-Spain Prison was placed on high alert in response to word of a planned “violent break out” involving a man charged with murder in a high-profile case.
Stewart said “from time to time” there has been talk of a jailbreak following which security measures were then immediately put in place.
He said this was especially so after the July 2015 prison break in which PC Sherman Maynard was shot and killed. One of the escapees, Allan “Scanny” Martin, was also killed by police.
Another escapee, Hassan Atwell, was murdered a day after being on the run in East Port-of-Spain and third escapee Christopher “Monster” Selby subsequently surrendered to police. Stewart said at a recent national security meeting it was revealed there were 147 gangs in T&T and most of the members ended up in prison.
Asked about the seriousness of a threat of a jailbreak in the coming weeks he gave the assurance this would not happen, saying his officers were prepared for any eventuality.
“We don’t have any concrete intelligence saying there would be a jailbreak but there are a lot of high-risk individuals in our environment at this time,” Stewart said. He said he was comfortable with all the security arrangements at the various prisons.
Saying that conditions at the prisons were in urgent need of attention, Stewart said: “When I joined as a recruit 30-something years ago there were seven to nine persons, sometimes 11 in a cell using one pail and inmates waiting for trial ten to 15 years.
“I am about to retire and it remains the same.”
He appealed for greater effort by the criminal justice system in ensuring speedier trials.