Dear Editor,
After reading a letter penned by Mr Charles Ramson Jr regarding his reasons for the deaths of the 17 prisoners last week, I wish to state that he is somewhat oblivious of the facts that surround this entire unfortunate occurrence.
First, to even imply that overcrowding of the prison cells in the Capital section was not a major contributing factor to the incident, but rather, the perceived “softness” of President Granger because of his pardoning of prisoners, could be deemed as misguided at best.
First, Mr Ramson, a lawyer by profession, ought to know that there are two things that are legally owed to any prisoner: natural justice and the right to a fair and timely hearing. If found guilty, the subsequent punishment meted out to the offender must fit the crime. From my research, the presidential pardons are not executed randomly or whimsically; there are strict conditions which govern eligibility for the programme. For a prisoner to be eligible for early release, they must, among other conditions, be the perpetrators of non-violent crimes/misdemeanours, have a short time left on their sentences and be willing to enrol in a post-release programme, which provides mentorship and skills training so as to make reintegration into the society a less challenging undertaking.
It puzzles me, therefore, that the MP can imply there is some correlation between the conditional pardoning of young offenders, and the frustrations displayed by the prisoners who proceeded to cause the conflagration at the Georgetown Prison. What he should have known is that the actual pardoning of minor offenders is a genuine attempt to reduce the problem of overcrowding at the prison. Mr Ramson’s postulations seem to have been derived from a mind cemented in partisan party positions and as such, he was unable to extricate his thoughts from the hardened philosophy that prevents some of our politicians from embracing any idea that emanates from outside their narrow philosophical mindset.
The “psychological break in the minds of the prisoners” that Mr Ramson speaks of, does not have its genesis in the policies of the last 9 months, but in the approach to treat inmates as lesser mortals.
As Guyanese, we must understand that, to project a mature political disposition, there are times when nationalistic interests must trump political partisanship. The death of 17 inmates and the need to improve the conditions for both the prisoners and the hardworking staff that manage our penal system, must be seen as issues that require national and bipartisan solutions.
Yours faithfully,
Jeumayne Dummett
