Acting Prisons Director Gladwin Samuels revealed that the Camp Street Prison had installed cell phone jammers prior to the July 9 fire and jailbreak. However, their use was discontinued due to some issues. It is unclear what these issues were, and whether they were related to the fire and jailbreak.
The use of cell phones in prisons has been a long-standing issue, as inmates have been known to use them to coordinate criminal activities. The installation of cell phone jammers was seen as a potential solution to this problem.
The July 9 fire and jailbreak highlighted the weaknesses in the prison system and the urgent need for reform. The fact that the cell phone jammers were not in operation during the incident raises questions about the effectiveness of the prison’s security measures.
Moving forward, it is imperative that the prison system implements effective security measures, including the use of cell phone jammers, to prevent future incidents. The safety of inmates, staff, and the wider community depends on it.
“There is a reason why those jammers that were initially installed …that we had to take steps to desist from the use of it, which I cannot disclose here, but jammers were installed at Camp Street Prison prior to the fire but there were setbacks that resulted in them not being in use,” he told a press conference yesterday, while responding to questions about the prisoners’ continued possession of mobile phones and their frequent use of social media.
During the raids at the various prisons across the country, authorities have found dozens of cell phones and other prohibited items.
One of the recommendations of last year’s Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Camp Street prison fire was the “need for installation of an effective jamming system for all cell phones.” It was recommended that it could be installed at high risk security blocks, if not the entire prison compound.
Subsequent to this recommendation being made, a large number of phones were found during prison raids and observers have repeatedly questioned how the prisoners managed to get them into the prison without detection.
Recently, prisoners being housed at the Lusignan pasture have updated their Facebook pages and posted pictures of their surroundings. Some have also live streamed the chasing of animals and the slaughtering of a cow.
Samuels told reporters that inmates would secure cell phones by several means but he did not reveal any.
Last year’s CoI had been told that items such as phone were smuggled into prison by “pouching,” where inmates would conceal contraband in their anus.
Samuels yesterday only said that some offenders are “real men” and others were “differently classified.” Those in the latter category, he added, would insert phones in various places. “But I can safely say to you that we would have found a ‘real man’ who secured one of those phones because after he was sanitised and later re-sanitised, he was found with the phone and… while cavity searches can be done, it must be done when you have reasonable cause. You cannot just go searching a prisoner’s cavity because it is gonna create serious conditions in the prison,” he further said.
Samuels added that the public can speculate about what should and what could be done but “the reality of it is, in order for us to carry our certain operations, it will require the use of force. Should we do so, it will provoke another situation, which I am quite sure this nation is not ready for. And further, should we do that, then we will be chastised as it relates to why we are operating so recklessly.”
He acknowledged that he is disturbed by the fact that prisoners are in possession of cellphones and are going live on Facebook. “I am a no-nonsense guy but [Prison Warder Odinga] Wickham is already dead. Going and place prison officers and other members of the Joint Services to confront these guys, who are extremely angry, will create another situation,” he said, before adding that having spoken to his officers about two hours before the press conference, “a lot of the frustration demonstrated and being expressed by these guys [the prisoners] is beyond the control of the prison department.”
Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan told reporters that two sanitation exercises conducted at the pasture unearthed 22 cell phones on the first occasion and 27 on the second occasion, in addition to “a whole set of weapons.”
“These are smart guys,” he said, while observing that the situation is a dangerous one and therefore authorities do not want to risk “people [security personnel] going in there and then when you go make a search it is hardly likely because they put it in the ground somewhere.”
Ramjattan acknowledged the limitations faced by prison authorities in confiscating illegal objects from prisoners, including cellphones. He stated that measures are currently in place to remove these items from the inmates’ possession with the help of security forces. However, he noted that during the recent prison unrest on July 9th, many prisoners were involved, making it difficult to completely eliminate all contraband items. He defended the security officers by pointing out that the circumstances made it hard for them to conduct thorough searches. Despite this, Ramjattan emphasized that efforts were made to carry out the task effectively. He acknowledged that there may still be one or two cellphones in the facility, which authorities are trying to locate.