When seventeen prisoners lost their lives in a fire at the Camp Street prison in March 2016, it occurred to me that society had failed in its duty of care to the prison population and I was not surprised when a few weeks ago, prisoners at the Lusignan prison were protesting their conditions in this era of the COVID-19. Then, in the present volatile political environment a WhatsApp message, purportedly coming from the account of Dr. Mellissa Ifill, arrived in my box (07/10/2020) and I thought that this is as good a time as any to again bring attention to the conditions of the prison population.
Dr. Ifill claimed that her friend Ms. Roxanne Prince-Myers (Deputy Chief Election Officer) was taken into police custody and expected to sleep on the ‘cold concrete floor’ of her cell. The police officers were professional but they like, many of the persons entering Ms. Prince-Myers’ presence, ‘did not properly wear their COVID masks,’ and Dr. Ifill said she was ‘petrified for my friend who … has challenges that put her at risk for complications from COVID-19’. Ms. Prince- Myers was arrested for ‘obstruction to justice’ and invoked her right to silence when asked about SOPS (statements of poll) relating to the 2020 elections. Dr. Ifill concluded, ‘This is not democracy – this is an inhuman, vindictive and evil abuse of power. I am beyond angry.’
