Symister says implementation of Prison Reform Committee’s recommendation could have prevented recent incident with officer

The attorney-general and the Browne Administration are being chastised for
failing to implement recommendations laid out in the Prison Reform
Committee’s report on alleged corruption at His Majesty’s Prison (then Her
Majesty’s Prison).
 
The report, submitted since 2020, unearthed serious allegations against
particular prison officers and highlighted the harsh treatment being meted
out to inmates. It also accused the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs of being
aware of quite a number of the problems plaguing the prison – but doing
nothing to address them.
 
Less than two weeks ago a prison officer was caught attempting to smuggle
drugs into the facility where he works. He was arrested, charged, convicted,
and sentenced to two months at the place where he once worked as a guard.
 
Referring to this incident, Leon Chaku Symister, the United Progressive Party
(UPP) spokesperson on legal matters, says this sort of breach will continue to
take place if those in charge are abdicating their responsibilities.

 
Had the recommendations made by the Prison Reform Committee been
implemented, Symister says this recent incident could have been avoided. And
if the proposals are seriously put into operation, he says, things will change at
1735.

That was Leon Chaku Symister, UPP spokesperson on legal matters.

The Committee had recommended a complete restructuring of the penal
facility’s operations, referencing political interference with the administration
of the prison among other shortcomings.