6 days ago
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Senior Multimedia Reporter
Inspector of Prisons Michael O’Neil says he plans to visit the Eastern Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre (ECRC) soon, following growing complaints from detainees about inhumane conditions at the facility.
He also plans to write to Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander over his lack of access to detainees held at the Defence Force military base in Chaguaramas.
Eighty-nine detainees are currently housed at the ECRC, some claiming they have received no information about their cases from the SoE Review Tribunal—the independent body that reviews detentions under emergency powers to ensure they are lawful, justified, and not arbitrary.
Six matters have gone before Alexander for recommendations between September 12 and October 22, but there has been no response.
Speaking to Guardian Media on Tuesday, O’Neil said he was aware of the concerns raised by ECRC detainees who engaged in a hunger strike in late October to highlight their frustration.
“I haven’t visited (ECRC) as yet, but a visit is scheduled in the not-too-distant future, given my duties and also about what is placed in the public domain with respect to that particular station,” O’Neil told Guardian Media.
He added that he had already made enquiries about the ECRC and noted that the challenges there reflected a broader pattern across T&T’s correctional institutions.
“I can say that I have made the necessary enquiries, and from what I understand, the issues surrounding that particular station are no different from those of other stations in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
He added, “There is a consistent theme across all institutions or all of the stations that infrastructural decline is the focal and main issue for these stations, and therefore I think that once that issue is resolved, there will be better conditions for the prisoners.”
O’Neil said he had visited several other detention centres but encountered difficulty accessing the detention centre at Chaguaramas.
“Unfortunately, I have not been able to access the detention centre that is located in the military base. I made an attempt, and I have since written seeking clarification on the reason why I was not able to visit at the time when I attempted to do so,” he said.
“It is something that I have actively attempted to follow up on, and I am also in the process of liaising with the Minister of Homeland Security with a view to meeting to address some of those issues,” O’Neil added.
He also said he knew of the complaints by detainees at the ECRC, who have described unsanitary and oppressive conditions within the facility, including poor ventilation, dirty toilets, medicinal shortages, and limited time outdoors, as well as infestations of rodents, cockroaches, and pigeons.
Meanwhile, attorney CJ Williams, who is representing detainees at Tetron Barracks in Chaguaramas, called for an investigation into why the Prisons Inspector was being barred from visiting detainees at that military base.
He said, according to the Prisons Act Chap 13:01, the prison inspector can enquire into all matters relating to prison and can examine every prisoner either alone or in the presence of other persons as he sees fit. Section 21 states that anyone who assaults or obstructs the inspector in the execution of his powers or duties under the Act or the Prison Rules is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $1,000 or six months’ imprisonment. Williams said the inspector’s job was to inspect prisons, examine inmates, and ask questions.
Attorney General John Jeremie has assured that all procedures related to detainees were being executed in accordance with the law.
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