Prison Officers Association, DOMA Welcome Decommissioning Of POS Prison
The Prison Officers Association says the government’s decision to decommission the Port of Spain prison is long overdue — and a clear vindication of its years-long push for its closure.
Following the government’s announcement on Friday, the Head of the Prison Officers Association, Gerard Gordon, says he hopes this will alleviate infrastructure concerns faced by POA members and inmates.
« The big thing for us is we are certainly looking forward to the construction of a new facility in the short term to address how we manage, especially the remand population, which incidentally is about three-quarters of the persons who are incarcerated are remanded. »
Responding to concerns about the relocation phase of the decommissioning, Mr. Gordon is confident that there is sufficient space at the alternative prison facilities that will be accommodating inmates from the Port of Spain Prison.
« We should be able to manage those numbers, not only at the Maximum Security Prison, but at other facilities that we have, in a way that would not place us under any more undue stress. »
Meanwhile, the President of the Downtown Owners and Merchant Association (DOMA), Gregory Aboud, told TTT News that « the Port of Spain prison has outlived its use. »
Mr. Aboud said while he did not object to the prison being located at 103 Frederick Street, he is relieved in knowing that the prisoners are being relocated to a more appropriate location.
« We generally support the idea that the jail on Frederick Street has outlived its use, and we had discussions on this very subject up until very recently with Roger Alexander, and we concurred with the decision. We do not object to the prison being on Frederick Street; the placement of these sorts of facilities is an attraction to bring people into the city to do their business at the jail and bring people in and out of Port of Spain. but what we do have a concern about is the conditions inside of the jail itself. »
Mr. Aboud noted that the detention facility for offenders awaiting court trial became inundated far greater than its original operational capacity. Thus, creating problems for those within its walls.
« The fact is, our thinking on the subject isn’t only related to economics; it’s also a question of an obligation to maintain a certain minimum standard of care for persons who have been accused of crimes because that jail in itself is really a remand prison, and many persons who were accused of crimes sometimes have to spend between one and ten years in jail waiting on their day in court, and in that regard, it isn’t fair or just or human to have them incarcerated in substandard conditions. »
The DOMA President also stated that the historical edifice should be transformed into a museum. Thus, preserving the significant colonial history of Trinidad and Tobago.
« The fact is that the building itself has tremendous significance, we should consider making it into a museum. I think it would be a good idea that we could make a colonial museum in which we put all of the artefacts from the past relating to our previous colonial status, including even the statue of Columbus. »
Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander said that the decommissioning includes removing and relocating prisoners to other detention facilities around the country.
