PRISON BEATING BEING INVESTIGATED

The prison service is investigating the circumstances surrounding the release and contents of a video on social media, which depicts prison officers beating and kicking prisoners behind prison walls.

Commissioner of Prisons Gerard Wilson yesterday confirmed seeing the video and said an investigation will be launched to determine where the video was filmed, and when.

He added that while the investigation will be launched, the prison officers, in the video, covered their faces with balaclavas (ski masks), which would make it difficult to identify them.

Wilson expressed disappointment over the video.

"The same way I frown on prisoners attacking prison officers, I am against prison officers harming prisoners," Wilson said.

The video was released on social media mere hours after a rumour began spreading that an attempted jailbreak was being staged in the Port of Spain prison. It depicted prison officers kicking prisoners and beating them with batons while they were lying face-down on the ground and bound with wire ties. The video seemed to have been recorded by another prisoner.

Sources at the prison service once again refuted claims that prison officers and police officers staged an operation on Tuesday evening in a bid to thwart an attempted prison break, after a breach was discovered.