GRANTS
TOWN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
BRADLEY
B. ROBERTS
TOPIC:
PRISON CONDITIONS-CORONERS INQUEST
In view of the government’s
promises in 1992, additional promises in 1997, a Task Force on Crime in 1999,
continued promises and the lack of ingenuity concerning its dismal failure to
alleviate crime, of which the Prison System is a vital component; all Bahamians
should be righteously indignant, in fact, enraged at the recent newspaper
reports coming from the Coroner’s Court, concerning the conditions of Her
Majesty’s Prison, as told by one, Dr. Ricky Davis.
Reports in both daily
newspapers on August 22, 2001 afforded those Bahamians never incarcerated, an
opportunity to understand the stark horrors of Her Majesty’s Prison for both the
convicted and those who are to administer direct justice for society and
supposedly offer correction for those who fall afoul of the law. The reports as given by Dr. Ricky Davis, in
the inquest into the death of one, Edison Thurston, pronounces a potential death
sentence on prisoners and overseers alike, because of the conditions one must
live in and the conditions one must work in.
The Prison System under the
present government, leaves no hope for the convicted to be reformed, nor for the
overseers to gain positive rewards from their jobs. Not unless, suffering the
stress of violence, communicable diseases and emotional instability, are the
major components of reform and reward.
In its patented scornful
attitude toward average Bahamians, the FNM Government finds it much easier, in
my opinion, to treat inmates and overseers as sub-human beings, as opposed to
bringing Her Majesty’s Prison up to the standard of most correctional facilities
in the world, where reform is the undergird of the punitive consequences for
those convicted of committing crimes. Unfortunately, the horrors of Her Majesty’s Prison for
both inmates and overseers, as told to the Coroner’s Court by Dr. Ricky
Davis is nothing new under the watch of the FNM Government.
Rated as one of the ten most
antiquated and worst prison systems by the International Human Rights
Association, when that rating is placed in juxtaposition to the reports from the
recent Coroner’s Court, therein lies a clear indication that the FNM Government does not care about the
conditions for inmates or employees of Her Majesty’s Prison. And in fact,
treats the prison system as an entity of a different world, than the world in
which it resides and in which we live. And the buck must stop at the Minister of
National Security, DPM Frank Watson. DPM
Watson is to be held squarely culpable for the continuous degradation in which
inmates must serve their debt to society and employees are forced to garner
gainful employment.
On numerous
occasions in Parliament and outside of Parliament, the Minister of National
Security has been at the brunt of severe criticism and cries for his resignation
over the state of crime and the components therein, such as the horrors of the
prison system. From the escape of
prisoners, both nationals and foreigners; to the mysterious deaths at the
prison; to the lack of proper medical facilities and care; to the inhumane
living conditions, where slop buckets are disposed of just outside the area
where food is prepared; to the inadequate remuneration for overseers and the
woefully inadequate work environment; to the missing funds from the Prisoner
Work Scheme Fund; to the many reports of inmate on inmate violence, overseer on
inmate violence, inmate and overseer violence; to unhealthy dietary facilities
and menu’s, the Minister of National Security has continued on his merry way of
denial, as if what happens at Her Majesty’s Prison is acceptable, once it is
confined to the prison grounds. Meanwhile persons of goodwill and character,
like Dr. Ricky Davis are removed from the facility as employees, if they dare to
not turn a blind eye to the horrors and abuse fermenting at Her Majesty’s
Prison.
As it was with the escape of
75 Cuban Nationals from Her Majesty’s Prison, an investigation was said to be
launched by the Minister of National Security with no report to date, it can be
assumed that so it will be with the report of theft from the Prisoners Work
Scheme Fund. To date the Nation has gotten no report from the government on its
investigation, only a denial at first, and then a promise from the Permanent
Secretary of the said Ministry that an audit is being done by the Ministry of
Finance. In fact the nation has never even seen the findings of this report. So
it is my duty as a responsible Parliamentarian to provide the Nation via the
print media with the report that initiated the investigation. Despite all of the apparent stall tactics
designed to last longer than the peoples memories of the events, the question
still remains as to who tief the money? The question still remains as to how did
the 75 Cubans make good their escape? An escape that happened over 18 months
ago, with no report to the people yet.
In view of the Prime
Minister’s unwillingness or inability to relieve forthwith, the Minister of
National Security of his portfolio and the negligence at carrying out his
duties, it is my position that the
Minister of National Security should be made to work on a daily basis in the
confines of Her Majesty’s Prison, in order to help him understand and be
compassionate toward the plight of those who are employed in Her Majesty’s
Prison and for him to be locked away from a society that views his dismal
approach to alleviating horrific prison conditions as a crime of
irresponsibility, insensitivity and negligence.
The Bahamas has already
gotten a black eye over the terrible and inhumane conditions at Her Majesty’s
Prison from television exposes internationally, newspaper articles and the
stories told by the loved ones who have family members incarcerated and in
particular the stories of the unbelievably disgraceful conditions in Cell Block
D, as well as reports from prison overseers. Now we have the chilling disclosure
and confirmation of the horrors of the prison system by a health care
professional in the person of Dr. Ricky Davis. In the name of decency, I demand that a
Blue Ribbon Commission be appointed forthwith to carry out a full and impartial
investigation inclusive of public hearings of Her Majesty’s Prison, Fox Hill,
inclusive of living and work conditions, remuneration for employment, staffing,
reform, etc. And let the chips fall where they may.
While justice and an orderly
society should be the motivating factors that drives those called to the service
of governance by the people, it still remains that inmates and overseers are
human beings, whom a society as well as their families should always hope for
the best in reform and remuneration for those employed. However, for inmates to not even be safe in
prison and overseers to be risking their lives on a daily basis by seeking
gainful employment, it would be less stressful for both to be on death row
awaiting their day of departure from this life. For then and only then, under
the present prison conditions, would both the inmate and the overseer be at
peace.