Dear Source:
It is continually disheartening to hear of the constant problems being experienced by our prison system. The prison system has been out of control, it seems, for several years and little or no progress seems to be made to improve the conditions.
Just this year alone there has been two escapes, four inmates shot, one stabbed and one inmate allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself. Violent acts like these are not uncommon in our prison system.
In 2004 prisoners and guards were engaged in a "stand off" over inmate privileges to have cell phones and microwave ovens. (We all remember when a knife was smuggled into the prison in a microwave oven box.) During the stand off prisoners barricaded themselves in a dorm and "demanded negotiations" with the warden. This is incredulous! What do these inmates do? Sit around watching episodes of the HBO series "OZ"?
Every time we look around the prison is on lockdown. It seems to be a constant cycle of killings, stabbings, escapes, insurrections, and court cases. Talk about ludicrous.
How about the prisoner on work release in 2004 who was accused of stealing bullet proof vests from the police station? In these days of reality television, the VI correction system has enough stories to fill five seasons of audience gripping television. Maybe we should package our stories and get some money to make improvements in our prison system.
With all these incidences and more, I have never heard of any charges being brought up against a corrections officer or supervisor for dereliction of duty. Are you telling me it is no one's fault that prisoners run across long stretches of open field to escape or remain unsupervised long enough to shank a fellow inmate multiple times in the gut?
Is it true that this last escape was made through a hole in the fence? Is this the same hole other prisoners have escaped through over the years? It sounds like deja vu all over again!
It was in February 2005 when the public first heard talk about corrections appointing a "Special Master" or a corrections expert to fix the problems at the prison. The US Department of Justice called conditions deplorable and unconstitutional and the then warden agreed. However the former Attorney General vehemently disagreed with that assessment, so much so that she demoted the warden as retaliation for his comment.
But as my mother always said, "what is in the dark will come out to the light," and in March 2006 a Special Master was appointed and ordered to fix the situation at the prison.
But what has changed since then? From my perspective, nothing at all has changed. The cycle of shooting, stabbings, escapes (throw in a suicide, or two) continues unabated.
Where are the results we were supposed to see now that this "expert" has a hand in the prison operations? Where are the semi-annual reports that person was supposed to produce? Have they conducted "walk throughs" of the prison like they are mandated to?
I am sure that person is living nicely on a cushy salary courtesy of the Virgin Islands taxpayers while the prisoners – our brothers, uncles, and fathers – remain in conditions described as deplorable, unconstitutional, unsafe and dangerous.
Governor de Jongh, it's time for action. Attorney General Frazer, it's time for action. Maybe we do need a separation of the Department of Justice and the Department of Corrections so more attention can be paid to this section of our government that has been crying out for help for so many years. If the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Police Department can be separated don't we owe our prisoners the same rights?
Victoria Williams
Frederiksted
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